Crimson Sea
by Thanathos
Summary: In the face of defeat, Madara chose to die by his own hand. However, things don't always go as one expects. How will this new world of devil-fruits, marines and pirates deal with one of the most powerful shinobi of all times thrown into it?
1. The End of the Beginning

Crimson Sea

Chapter 1

Disclaimer, I don't own One Piece or Naruto

* * *

Madara coughed. He was completely exhausted, but that was not what filled him with a deep bitterness. No, what tasted so bitter was defeat. The stakes had been higher than ever before, and he had lost. The Kyuubi was tied down half a mile from here, unable to break through the restraints Hashirama had bound it, with the sinking sun coloring the entire battlefield crimson.

Said man was standing in front of him, his broken ribs making breathing a chore, his left arm covered in blood from the deep cut in his shoulder. Madara's sickle had done it's job well.

However, while Hashirama was the one who had spilled more blood, Madara was the one who would inevitably lose. Hashirama had coated his weapons with a paralyzing agent, an dishonorable tactic he would have never used had he not known that the only ones who would witness this battle would be the two of them, and Madara had used chakra to move his body for the majority of the fight, which had been a tremendous strain on his reserves.

The Kyuubi had fought bravely, but eventually it was overwhelmed by the roots. Madara had given it one last order before the battle, to struggle as much as it could, and when Hashirama used his control-technique on it, to vanish before his eyes. Madara's Eternal Sharingan's power of the bijuu was greater than Hashirama's, although said man could suppress them, something that Madara was incapable of, so if he truly should lose, it would be a final revenge of sorts, to have the most powerful of the bijuu, and the only one Hashirama hadn't bargained away to other countries, knowing the Kyuubi would be victorious even if all other eight were the enemy, vanishing before his eyes, leaving the man who had 'tamed' the bijuu and his village as the only shinobi-village in the entire Elemental-continent without one.

Oh yes, Hashirama's mask of the benevolent, peace-loving ruler was so perfect that his own brother believed that it was the real Hashirama. Madara was the only one who knew better. Hashirama was subtle. He had never shown the love of battle that rested in his heart in even the most brutal of battles before Madara had forced it out of him. Both Madara and Hashirama had known who they were facing the moment their blades clashed the first time. Geniuses, so far ahead of their peers that they could not be understood by lesser mortals, who had put on masks to fit into their circumstances, now facing the only one who could rip those masks from their faces. Madara had seen Hashirama's crazed smile too often to believe the man desired peace more than power, though even he had been surprised at Hashirama's offer of cooperation. He had seen through it the moment Hashirama had proposed it, but in the ears of his battle-weary clan, the hidden meaning had not rang. He had been outvoted, and been forced to agree, Hashirama giving him, and only him, a superior smirk, knowing the Uchiha had fallen into his trap, and that Madara knew it, yet was helpless to stop it.

When the heads of the Hyuuga, the Inuzuka, the Akimichi, the Yamanaka and, grudgingly as he too had seen through it, yet was unwilling to abandon the two clans that he had always fought with, the Nara lowered, together with the heads of an entire population, Hashirama had allowed his true, wicked smile to show to Madara, his only equal and the only one who stood beside him, not below him. Hashirama had done it. He had conquered the entire Hi no Kuni, and he had done it in a way that made him look the hero.

Madara's warnings had fallen on deaf ears, and while he held the charisma, his own clan had planted rumors claiming that he was a warmonger, to help Hashirama win the election to the Hokage. Following this betrayal, Madara as clan-head had called a meeting, where he laid down the Uchiha's sacred scroll, that only the current clan-head was allowed to read, and knowledge of which was destroyed by seals once the head stepped down, and burned it in front of the entire clan, following the law that the entire clan knew, that the scroll had to be destroyed by the last Uchiha so that those unworthy could never gain knowledge not meant for them. He had then walked out of the gate, declaring:

"The Uchiha-clan is dead. It just doesn't know it yet."

There had been outrage, but the user of the Eternal Mangekyo had been gone long before anyone gathered enough courage to try and attack the strongest Uchiha in the history of their clan.

With Madara's absence, Hashirama had free hand in ruling the village he had founded, and indeed the entire country, the daimyo being little more than his puppet, respecting the Senju too much to doubt any word he spoke. Other villages had formed, not because of Hashirama's example, but to be able to counter his strength, Madara had warned all who had been willing to listen. Hashirama had been furious when he heard that his plan of eventual absolute rule had been thwarted. He had destroyed a mountain close to Konoha in his anger, his face eventually being carved into its remains. However, by that time, five other villages had formed, Madara having a hand in the creation of all five, three of them, Kumo, Kiri and Iwa, he had co-founded himself, not that he allowed that to become public knowledge, while Suna and Taki were formed by charismatic rulers, Madara merely smoothing the details out with the local sovereign, a genjutsu of Izuna's that he could use with his transplanted eyes working miracles in getting approval.

Hashirama, attempting to gain political alliances which would allow him at least indirect rule until he could form rebellions that would overthrow the villages' rulers and install puppet-rulers for himself, had offered the villages, officially as a show of good faith, the most powerful weapons in existence, the bijuu, so that they could secure their rule. It was also a show of power, saying 'Look here. These monsters far beyond your control, their power is so insignificant that I can easily afford to give them away, even to a small, insignificant village like Taki.', since he would keep the one that would beat all others for himself. However, just to be one the safe side, he had instilled a command to go berserk a few months after they were handed out to the villages into the naturally docile creatures, making it seem that without Hashirama's calming presence, the beasts were returning to their violent nature, as Hashirama never failed to mention that these beasts were highly aggressive and that he had nearly died gathering them, while in reality the bijuu were gentle giants that required a lot of effort to anger.

He had done so hoping that the beasts would destroy the hindrances, but Madara, not present but in possession of means of communication, had used the knowledge of the now destroyed Uchiha-scroll that resided in his photographic memory, which entailed the true history of the Sage of the Six Path and his sons, to teach the villages how to seal the beasts before they could lay waste to all that they had built.

The true history had given Madara an odd sense of familiarity.

-0-

The older brother, who had not been declared heir of the Sage, had been the only one of the two brothers that ever gathered knowledge of what their father had done, and had worked restlessly to ensure that his work would not be in vain. He had been a prodigy, if not the true inventor, of sealing, and had developed dozens of seals to hold the demon, both in a human host or in an object. He had been the one who came up with a method to split the Juubi into pieces and merge those pieces with animals to ensure that it could never be reunited, a method that he prepared together with the most gentle animals he could find, in some cases he took two, just to be safe, for his father on the man's deathbed, together with more seals to keep those new beasts.

His younger brother, who had been born with his father's abnormal chakra-density and reserves, had been a goof, or less friendly, a lazy bum. Never seeing the horror of war, he believed that understanding could solve everything, yet he was completely incapable of understanding why the fathers and brothers of the girls he played with tried to butcher him. He had used his chakra to get more in sync with the elements, and had used those in helpful ways, yet with the goal of showing off. You have a drought? Watch this, I can make it rain on command! A calm prevents you from fishing? Watch this, I'll call a nice breeze to help you. You're worried about that thunderstorm? Watch this, I can make sure the lightning hits far away from you. A fire? I rule fire, just watch! Am I great or am I great?

On his deathbed, the Sage had declared the younger brother, who had helped many people, his heir, and charged the older brother with making sure that his brother would become a good leader, since he was a bit lacking when it came to understanding the seriousness of a situation. The first Uchiha had ground his teeth, but he had agreed, not wanting the father to leave the world with the sorrow of knowing that his sons declared a feud.

However, teaching the first Senju was a pain. The boy had first tried to boss his brother around as the head of their family, until the Uchiha pointed out that their father had tasked him with teaching the head of the family how to be serious, which meant that until _he_ thought his little brother was ready, it was the Uchiha who gave the Senju orders, not the other way around. Their disputes had become more and more vicious, until the older brother hid the bijuu away, releasing the indeed peaceful beasts into remote areas where they would not be easily found, feeling that their power was too great to be in the hands of one human. The younger brother was furious, as he had planned to show his power with the beasts, and had the nerve to proclaim that his brother had stolen them, intending to use them to overthrow him, and declared a feud that lasted to this day.

-0-

Madara could see similarities between the siblings and himself and Hashirama, only that their situation was a bit nastier.

Still, when the bijuus started their rampage, the villages were prepared and sealed them away, although it did not work without casualties. Still Hashirama's plans were again thwarted, and Madara had decided that now was the perfect time to strike. Which had led to his defeat here.

Hashirama gasped, looking at Madara. "You always were the greatest thorn in my side, Madara. However, today I am finally pulling out that thorn." He grabbed his only intact weapon, a large Zweihänder, and slowly moved towards Madara. Madara Uchiha. The man Hashirama Senju respected more than anyone else, and the man he hated more than anyone else. He hated Madara for all the problems he had caused, but even more for being able to see the real him, something that even he himself at times could not see. He hated that man, for looking into the depths of his soul. For being so like him, yet so different. For caring about the insignificant rest of humanity, for caring about someone for such a simple reason as blood. For caring for his brother, while Hashirama secretly looked down on his sibling who tried to reach the same level as his brother, a level that should be reserved for only him yet also being occupied by Madara, and for actually getting more power for caring about his brother. Today it would finally end, and Hashirama would have peace, knowing that Madara was finally dead.

Madara had accepted death as a real possibility when fighting someone the level of Hashirama, but suddenly, he didn't want to grant Hashirama the pleasure of ending his life. He closed his eyes. "So this is how it ends."

Hashirama considered keeping up his persona, but decided that it would be wasted effort, as neither of them would fall for it. "Yes. This is how you die. Alone, abandoned by your clan, who will soon be little more than the lapdogs of the Senju, my lapdogs."

Madara sighed. "Indeed, a fate befitting of traitors. However, you shall not be the one who tastes the sweet taste of complete victory. I curse you Hashirama, you and your entire clan. I curse you with the grudge of all those who lost their lives to your machinations, from all countries, from all clans. Your clan shall fall to ruins. You however I curse with death, that you will die without seeing your dreams come to fruition, with the knowledge that without you, the driving force and only conspirator, your dreams will never come to fruition."

Hashirama laughed. "Your curse I bear, and I will shake it off like everything else you have thrown my way. With the Kyuubi, I can regain the other bijuu and crush all when the time is right. Now that you have returned the Kyuubi, I can even in times of peace visit the bijuu, siphon their chakra, unite it with my own and become immortal. A plan that my ancestor described, but yours prevented. Yes, I found the diary of my ancestor, the first Senju, something that nobody else has ever accomplished, and I will succeed where even he failed. The ones who always stopped men like me, men like you, will be no more. Now, with my own hands, I will end the meddling of your blood, once and for all." He was only fifteen feet away by now, shifting his sword, clutched in both hands, to the right, preparing to decapitate his opponent with a single swing.

Madara laughed. "I may have lost, but the taste of victory I can deny you. My life is not for your taking. _Kamui_!"Madara's eyes snapped open, the Eternal Mangekyo spinning in them once more.

Hashirama was too surprised to even attempt to dodge, as he felt his right arm lodged into place, just above the elbow. Knowing he had only seconds, he let go of the sword with his right arm, lifted it with the left, and slammed the blade down, separating the arm at the shoulder. He himself had taken the antidote to the paralyzing agent, so he didn't have to worry about knocking himself out. He jumped to the left just in time to avoid the vortex that had already absorbed his arm. Suddenly he noticed a blur from the corner of his vision. Madara!

The man had, knowing his chakra would last only seconds, forced his body to move one more time, throwing himself into the vortex before it closed.

Hashirama growled, being denied his ultimate victory, but it was alright. He cauterized the wound using one of the few katon he knew, and walked over to the Kyuubi, the restraints slowly receding until its body was visible. He smiled.

"After all these years, you are finally mine. I can control you, so you cannot resist me any more than the other bijuu. Finally, immortality is at my fingertips. Madara, the only obstacle, is no more. Now, **OBEY ME!**" He activated his power, but what happened next surprised him.

The Kyuubi grinned at him, gave a roar that threw Hashirama ten feet back, and evaporated into thin air. Hashirama jumped up, running to the spot where the beast once laid, clawing the air. It was gone. How? His control was absolute! No, not absolute. There was one person whose control over bijuu exceeded his. One person who could have done this. His body flooded with ungodly rage.

"MAAADAAAARAAAAAAA!"

-0-

Hashirama Senju returned to Konoha, proclaiming that the threat was over and the warmonger Madara dead. He retired to treat his injuries, but only an hour after returning, he started coughing blood. Medical examinations showed that his body was filled with the Kyuubi's youki, which was destroying his body from the inside out.

Hashirama immediately focused, attempting to gain control over the youki, to force it to stop its attack and perhaps even use it as a substitute for the Kyuubi in his ceremony. However, he had just used his control on the youki, when he felt a burning pain in his remaining left arm. He looked down, and realized that the youki inside of him was, even in death, under Madara's control. There on his arm, branded from the inside by the youki, were three words:

I CURSE YOU

Before he could utter a sound, the youki's attack intensified tenfold, Hashirama's world fading to black as the youki attacked his brain, lungs and heart. Hashirama Senju died before sunrise, Madara Uchiha's curse in the end fulfilling itself, as the Senju-clan too fell into ruins soon after.

-0-

As for Madara? He found himself being pulled through darkness. 'How?' He wondered. He should have been torn apart into his smallest particles, yet he was unharmed. Then he noticed it was not completely dark, as he wouldn't be able to see his hands otherwise. He looked around and his eyes widened. "_Susanoo_" He whispered.

Indeed, he was inside of what could be considered the Sharingan's ultimate move. He had no idea how it had happened, as neither had he activated the jutsu, nor did he have the chakra to. The _Kamui_ had left him practically drained dry. Well, he was exhausted enough for it to be true. His vision blurred, but suddenly there was light. Madara noticed white clouds, a glimpse of what looked like massive mountains to his right, the sound of breaking waves, bright blue water that was quickly coming closer. Then, nothing.

* * *

Chapter 1 is finished. How do you like it?

This was an idea going around in the back of my head, one of many, so I eventually decided to just write it down. My line of thought here was that in pretty much every a-Naruto-character-lands-in-the-One Piece-world, it's practically always Naruto who gets sent, either through divine interference or not really explained. So I thought myself, 'Why can't anyone land there with his own strength?' and 'What character aside from Naruto would be fun to let loose into the OP-world?', and I chose Madara. He won't be evil, which forced me to make Hashirama evil so I could have a nice conflict, although he definitely will be dark. Madara won't be completely insane or bent on world domination, although I decided to give him something out of the show Heroes. What exactly that is I will say in the next few chapters, if there will be any.

I will make a few alterations in the chronology of the OP-world, so that certain characters may be younger than in canon, but more of that later.

oh, and I've put up a challenge which is based on this story-idea, check it out.

So, what do you think? Should I continue this story?

Please Review


	2. Awakening in a new World

Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or One Piece

* * *

Madara suppressed a groan as his conscience returned. If it wasn't shinobi-rule number one, it should be; when awaking in an unfamiliar place, don't give any indication that you're awake before you're sure it's safe. His first discovery was 'I'm not tied up', followed by 'there's something on my neck'. He felt a presence close by, only one, and of the level of a civilian. Still, even a civilian could kill a Kage with preparation and a bit of luck, so Madara stayed on guard. After peaking through a half-closed eyelid, he deemed it safe to 'awaken', the presence coming from a woman with a white coat, purple hair tied in a ponytail, and glasses. He sat up.

The woman turned, and jumped. "Wha...? oh, you're awake. Don't scare me like that!"

Madara looked at her. "Who are you? Where am I?"

The woman gave him a somewhat sad smile. "You're on the Red Line, in the Holy Land of Mariejois to be exact. I am a doctor, my name is Lavia."

Madara frowned. He knew of doctors, medics that worked with medicine and tools instead of chakra, and fairly successful, but the rest of her words confused him. "Red Line? Mariejois? I have never heard of those places." It seemed he had been somehow teleported to a different place, which was good. Now he could lick his wounds, and seeing that Hashirama should be dead now, he could safely return once he was healed to remove Hashirama's berserker-orders from the bijuu, something he never had the time to do before, as they were given to the villages after he had left them.

Lavia stared at him. "You're kidding. How can you not know the Red Line, the only continent? You really are some country bumpkin, aren't you?"

Now Madara's patience was wearing thin. "Enlighten me then, before I do something you might regret."

Lavia laughed. "Nice bark you got, but we've already checked the Wanted-list. You don't have a bounty, meaning that you're not that dangerous." Her face darkened and she muttered, more to herself. "Even if you were, it wouldn't matter now." She shook her head. "Anyways, I might have something laying around here that will help. Just let me find it... here!"

Madara frowned. As with all shinobi of his level, there was a bounty on his head. A ridiculously high one too. Anyways, he looked at the paper Lavia had unfolded... and blinked. It was a map, but what it depicted was not like any map he had ever seen before. "What is this?"

Lavia rolled her eyes. "A map of the world, what else?" She cleared her throat. "As you can see, our world is covered mostly with water, with many islands of varying size, but only one supercontinent, the Red Line, which goes from north to south around the entire planet, separating the oceans. Most of the Red Line's shores are 10.000 meters above sea-level, and not even the most vicious storms even get close to us here on the top. You were pretty lucky, there is one heavily- guarded elevator dug through the mountain to reach the harbor and so that fishermen can go down and gather fish, which is pretty easy, considering that the currents force all fish to the shore. You were found by those fishermen, washed ashore, or rather thrown against the harbor. You cracked a few ribs there, but I'm amazed you weren't crushed. Anyways, back to our geology-lesson. Aside from the Red Line, which goes from north to south, there is also a giant current going from east to west, the Grand Line. The only safe way to reach it is through River's Mountain, as the Grand Line is boxed in on both sides by the Calm Belt, a area with absolutely no wind, and it is the breeding ground of the giant Sea Kings. The Oceans are the North Blue, the East Blue, the South Blue and the West Blue. If you're looking for pirates, those can be found everywhere, although the Marines keep them in check Anyways, Mariejois, were we are, is the seat of the World Government, and the home of the Tenryuubito."

The gears in Madara's head were turning. This made no sense! Either this woman was crazy, or the people here had somehow managed to overlook the Elemental Continent! Or, the _Kamui_ had not pulled him to a different spot in his world, nor to his own pocket-dimension, as that was both dry and uninhabited, but to a completely different world! A short check, that went unnoticed by the doctor, calmed Madara, as he still had his chakra, and a mirror behind Lavia showed him that his Sharingan also still worked. Lavia was focused on the map, and Madara asked the question she had apparently been waiting for. "What are the Tenryuubito?"

Before she could answer, the door was kicked open. Madara immediately took a combat stance, while Lavia dropped to her knees, crossed her hands in front of her chest, and bowed until her forehead touched the floor, while calling "Welcome master Valnist."

The roughly fifty year old man who entered was wearing a full-body suit including pyramid-shaped helmet, had the oddest haircut Madara had ever seen, going up in a tower before splitting into three small curls just below the tip of the helmet. The man sneered at him. "Why is that still standing in _my_ presence?"

Madara was busy trying to decide which bone he would break first, when Lavia looked up. "Forgive him master Valnist, he is confused and ignorant of the mighty Tenryuubit... argh." The man had kicked her.

"Did I allow you to speak?" He hissed, before turning to Madara. Said man had decided on the neck, and was now weighing different approaches, before he spoke again. "So, you don't know of the Tenryuubito?"

"Never heard of them." Madara calmly answered. Maybe he'd just toss the figure through the window.

Valnist sneered. "I knew it, a country bumpkin as I thought. Well then, I'll enlighten you. This world that you live in was founded by great kings. These kings in their blood held the superiority over all others, and the ones who inherited that blood are we, the Tenryuubito. We are superior to all others, and when you meet a Tenryuubito, we are easily identified by these helmets we wear so that we mustn't breathe the air you've filthied, you will bow, as all slaves should. Woman, I task you with teaching this bumpkin what he needs to know."

"Yes master Valnist." Lavia intoned, but the man had already left.

Madara helped her up. "What did he mean by slaves?"

Lavia looked down, before pointing at Madara's neck. "We are property of the Tenryuubito. I have been auctioned away, and you were claimed, as it was Valnist's men who found you. What you're wearing is a slave-collar. They can detonate it whenever they want. It will kill you, if you're lucky. Trust me, it's better to just keep your head down and do what you're told."

"Why am I wearing a collar and you're not?" Madara asked.

Lavia gave him a deadpanned look. "Because you're new. Those collars are usually only around your neck when you leave the Holy Land of Mariejois, as in here, there is no chance to escape. The only ones who always wear one are the new slaves, whose hope of escape hasn't been crushed yet."

Madara looked toward the door. "Are all Tenryuubito like that?"

A joyless snort answered him. "Honestly, Valnist is one of the better ones. He doesn't hurt us for entertainment and tries to avoid killing us, that's more than I can say for most others."

Madara weighed his options. "Where are my things?" He asked.

Javia shrugged. "Probably in some crate. Valnist was gone on business for a while, so he likely didn't have time to go through them yet. After that, he'll keep what he likes, the rest gets thrown away. But it'll be at least a week before anything related to duty will be done by Valnist, so if you want to go look for them, be my guest. Just don't cause any trouble."

Madara was torn. On one hand, he felt the urge to just kill all the Tenryuubito and be done with it, on the other hand he didn't know if what Lavia had said was true. He decided that he'd hang around for a while, avoid meeting the Tenryuubito, and observe and learn what he could. He didn't know enough of this world to pick a side.

Lavia looked at him. "Now I think I deserve some questions answered. Who are you, and how did you get here?"

Madara gave her a cold look, but decided she deserved to know that much. As he was a stranger in this world, it was not like she would recognize his name. "My name is Madara Uchiha. I was fighting with my life-long enemy, with the odds favoring him, and jumped off a cliff instead of giving him the pleasure of ending my life." It was as close to the truth as Madara could go without being declared insane.

Lavia smiled sadly. "I see. Perhaps it would have been better to die. What you'll face here will be hell."

Madara smiled as he walked out to take a look around. "A hell indeed, but certainly not for me."

-0-

The next few days went in relative peace. He grilled Lavia and anyone else he could find for information, observed the behavior of the nobles from afar, and after finding the library, reading books, his Sharingan and perfect memory allowed him to read a page in less than two seconds, which was speeding things up nicely. This world was an interesting place, to say the least. There was no chakra, which gave him a definite edge, but what they had was fascinating. _Haki_ sounded like _Sakki_, or Killing Intent, that he knew, but that it could be charged into limbs and even weapons to strengthen them and give damage to otherwise invulnerable enemies. But what really grabbed his attention were the Akuma no Mi, the Devil Fruits. It was incredible what abilities they gave, although the descriptions were vague, even in the library of the World Government that he could access without leaving hints of breaking in, which were most.

Devil Fruits were easier studied on those that had some, probably a lot of the Marines and agents of the World Government, although he had noticed that while Tenryuubito didn't have any abilities, they sometimes fed those fruits to slaves for amusement, having those slaves put on shows for them, going from dance to gladiator-matches. He saw, at a family that wore round helmets, two women, apparently sisters, turn into snakes and fight each other, while a third, who couldn't be older than twelve, was dancing with other slaves, apparently working some kind of charm. During those expeditions he also learned that all of the nobles were scum of the worst kind, and that he would do this world a favor if he reduced their numbers, which he was planning on doing eventually.

Fruit-users were not the only interesting thing he saw. He noticed men and women, slaves or servants, who had odd characteristics. They seemed like crosses between men and different forms of marine wildlife, who, as he found out later, were a completely different race simply known as Fishmen. He also saw slaves with additional joints in their arms or legs, and one man who looked completely normal, only he was bigger than some of the villas. The most curious find was in a Tenryuubito's pond, where a real mermaid was chained down, unable to leave it. This world was fascinating and Madara grew to like it more and more. So far, the only stain seemed to be the Tenryuubito, but Madara intended to correct that mistake. He just wasn't sure when.

However, six days after he woke up in Lavia's office, that decision would be made for him.

-0-

The day had begun normal. Madara had woken up where he had laid down to sleep, the roof of a tower, and started another stroll through Mariejois, which was a huge city by his old standards. From the outside, one saw houses of lesser nobles surrounding a giant fortress with many towers. In reality however, the outer wall was basically just that, a wall. Behind that wall, although a number of floors higher above the ground the 'simple' nobles lived, were large manors, shops, a little town inside of a building, with the towers and the central headquarters of the World Government watching over them. Madara found it pathetic that they Tenryuubito dared be so arrogant while being completely dependent for protection. He was still considering how and when he'd slaughter them, but unless something forced him to, he'd rather not give up on the library. Of course, there were other libraries, Madara had the plan to visit an island named Ohara when he was out of here, since it was mentioned to have a very extensive library, but all in good time.

He had spent the day in the library, reading on different topics, currently focusing on history. Eventually the sun had sunk, hours ago, and the library would be searched, then hermetically sealed. Since Madara had no interest of dying like that, he left shortly after midnight. As he walked down the street, a servant noticed him and practically attached himself to his leg. "Thank god I finally found you! Master Valnist wanted to see you two days ago, but you were gone. The master would have detonated your collar if you hadn't been found by tomorrow. You have to come quickly, master Valnist is in a horrible mood. Slaves don't make their masters wait."

Madara gave him a cold look. "If you value your arms, you will release me this instant." The man obeyed, and Madara shrugged generously. "Fine, I'll humor your master. Lead the way."

The man, happy that today, he would not be punished for failure, hurried to Vanist's villa, Madara leisurely, but with the same speed as the running man, followed. It was not as if he had anything to fear from his so-called master. He had seen these 'guns', and while their bullets were a bit faster than him, their movement was linear, so as long as he kept the barrel in his sight, there was no problem. Of course, once he retrieved his armor, he would only have to look out for bullets aiming for unprotected spots, like his hands, feet, and head. Should Valnist try anything, he'd soon be wishing he'd never been born. In fact, if the man didn't return his possessions to him, the man would regret being born.

-0-

Valnist was as ugly as Madara remembered, and his sneer was not improving anything. "You have made me wait, slave." He stated.

Madara lifted a brow, a sign that he was listening, but not really interested. He was wondering about the chain attached to the wall, knowing from Lavia that breaking it or the collar would detonate it. Since he was being immobilized, his host apparently had something planned that Madara would not be happy with, but he had decided he'd listen to the man before deciding on a suitable punishment.

Valnist frowned. He moved to slap Madara, but a small dose of _Sakki_ made him hesitate, even though the nobleman didn't know it, never having felt anything like it before. Still, his sneer deepened. "I see that Lavia has failed to instill you with the proper respect to your betters, I'll have her punished later. Although, with someone as stupid as you, the task was almost impossible. Listen slave, I have been far too lenient with you. Your ignorance is becoming bothersome, a slave doesn't leave the house. Do you have any idea how embarrassing it was on the ball three days ago when I wanted to present my new slave and he was nowhere in sight? Because of you, now some may think I am incapable of disciplining my slaves."

"Where are my belongings?" Madara interrupted.

Valnist hadn't even heard him. "What a disgrace, it will take years to erase this shame from my peers' memories. And all because I haven't found the time to properly teach you. Then again, you may currently feel like a form of servant, that was my mistake. I should have done this immediately, as it helps to make slaves realize their places." With that, he walked to a fireplace and grabbed a piece of metal. Madara saw that it was a branding-iron, and it was glowing red. On it was a circle, with three triangles pointing up like claws, and one pointing down.

"What is that?" Madara asked. If this little shitstain was trying to do what he thought he was trying to do, he'd use the so-called noble to repaint this room crimson.

Valnist grinned. "Ah yes, you are a bumpkin, I forgot. What you see here is the _Hoof of the Soaring Dragon_, the mark of the Tenryuubito. Well, only we Tenryuubito are allowed to use it, but it's not really our mark, as we don't put it on ourselves. You see, it marks our property, and it is branded on all slaves, so that they understand that they too are property. This mark shows that you slaves are the lowest of the low, the filth amongst all that filth that litters this world that we made. It is a sin for you to..."

Madara was getting annoyed. "Are you done?"

Valnist grimaced. "Looks like the bumpkin can't wait to be branded. Very well, I, the great Saint Valnist, shall now mark you."

He moved towards Madara, who had stood up, giving him a glare that made the arrogant noble freeze. "Try it, little man, and I will grind you into powder."

The Tenryuubito shuddered, but he tried to act tough. "Y-y-you c-can't scare m-me! I-if you try a-a-anything, your collar will kill you!"

Madara tilted his head while forming one-handed seals. "You think that _this_ can stop me? You have no idea who you're messing with. But let me fill you in. _Doton: Domu!_" He had copied this jutsu from a strong opponent hailing from Taki. His skin blackened, he closed his eyes to protect them from shrapnel, and gave his collar a mighty tug.

BOOOM!

Valnist stared in shock. His newest possession had just detonated himself. "How dare he? How dare that bumpkin kill himself without my permission?"

A cold laughter interrupted his outrage. "Who killed himself?"

The smoke cleared, and Madara stood there, rubbing his neck, but completely unharmed! Valnist stumbled backwards. "Impossible. You're a Fruit-user! But how? Those can't swim!"

Madara smiled, a smile that would make even the devil shudder. "Oh, I have never eaten a Devil Fruit. And now we can talk from the correct perspective."

Valnist panicked. "GUARDS!"

A group of at least twenty men barged into the room, all armed to the teeth, and after a moment to analyze the situation, charged at Madara. Said man rolled his eyes. "Excuse me for a moment, this won't take long."

Indeed, after two seconds, it was over. Madara had dashed forward, and in one moment crashed through their line, snapping necks and impaling soldiers on their own weapons. Without sparing the corpses so much as a glance, he turned around, acting as if he had not just committed small-scale genocide. He grabbed Valnist by the throat, smashing his helmet, and effortlessly lifted him into the air with one hand. "Now, where were we? Ah yes, you were about to answer all my questions, and you were going to do a really good job so that I may rethink that idea of slaughtering you."

Valnist choked, but his arrogance was too deep-seated to be broken this easily. "You dare... raise your hand against... me, descendant of the world's crea-GURARGH?"

Madara had increased the pressure on the man's neck. "Silence, fool!" Madara hissed, disgusted. "Only children have the right to hide behind the achievements of their ancestors, and you are not a child. You are a mere parasite, living off of something that happened ages ago. You know of your ancestor's deeds, yet you do not strive to achieve anything to reaffirm that glory. I would do your ancestor a favor if I struck you down before you bring more shame to his family's name! Now I ask you again. Where. Are. my. BELONGINGS?"

"Outside... next to door... chest... thrown away..." There was not enough air for complete sentences.

Madara nodded. That was really all he wanted to know. He dropped the coughing Tenryuubito, and turned to leave, when the man spoke again. Didn't this guy know when to shut up?

"You will regret this. Assaulting a Tenryuubito in Mariejois, all three Admirals will come to punish you."

Madara paused, without looking back. "These Admirals, are they strong?"

Valnist blinked. This was not the reaction he had anticipated. "What? Of course, they are nearly invincible, there is only one man stronger than them!"

Madara's head turned, and the grin on his face would have made the devil cry for his mommy. "Wonderful."

With that one word, Valnist understood. This man was not just some punk, this man lived on the battlefield. Wherever he came from, that place was buried in war, and the man had grown up to the symphony of slaughter. He did not fear death, he did not fear pain, he craved both. This man, while was seemingly able to exist perfectly fine in peace, it was in war that he truly lived. As such, one could not threaten him by saying someone would come and kill him, the idea of a powerful opponent was sweet promise in his ear. It was possible he had attacked Valnist just to provoke the response of the Admirals. Had Valnist not already been sitting, he would have dropped on his butt.

"You did, didn't you? You attacked a creator of this world just for a fight?"

Madara grinned. "Perhaps. And what do I care of this world's creators, it is not mine."

Valnist's jaw dropped. "What?"

Madara frowned. "I shouldn't have said that. Well, too late now. I am from a different world. Locked in mortal combat with my enemy, I had thrown myself into a dimensional whirlpool to not grant him the honor of slaying me. To my own surprise, instead of being torn to shreds, I landed here."

Valnist blinked. "Impossible..."

Madara looked around. "Now there is just one question left. What am I going to do with you? You understand that I can't let you live, now that you know my secret. Ah yes, this will do, that way you didn't heat it up in vain." He picked up the still red-glowing branding-iron. "Didn't you say this brand marks it's bearer as below human? Well, how fitting."

Valnist crawled back. "You wouldn't dare!"

Madara gave him an almost kind smile. "Don't worry, I'm just kidding. I won't kill you just because you know my secret."

Valnist sighed in relief.

"I never had any intention to let you live to begin with."

Valnist screamed. "Why? WHY?"

Madara's smile turned thoughtful. "Why? Good question. Because I can, and I want to." With that, he pressed the hot iron into Valnist's face, the familiar scent of burning flesh and the agonized howls of the dying man bringing back memories of great victories and terrible losses. After a minute of slowly increasing the pressure, he finally felt the skull cave in, though just to be sure, he crushed the Tenryuubito's ribcage with a single stomp. Then, as if nothing happened, he walked out to get his possessions, making a short stop at the slave-quarters to tell the poor souls that their employer had recently passed.

-0-

Madara sighed in happiness. "Finally, I am whole again." He had found his clothing, armor and even his battle-fan and sickle, and almost giddily climbed out of the rags he had worn so far. He had covered all of his possessions in seals, and especially with his armor it had paid, as the seemingly light armoring swam and withstood great pressures, a fact that without a doubt had saved his life. Now it was time to hunt Tenryuubito.

However, it seemed that someone else had had a similar idea, as Madara noticed that some of the houses were burning, slaves running through an open gate towards freedom, everyone else running around like headless chicken, nobody giving him a second glance. Almost bored, he snatched a saber from the scabbard of a marine running past, and seeing that it was a blade of inferior quality, buried it into the chest of a Tenryuubito running past, his suit on fire.

Suddenly, a shadow fell on him. He looked up, and straight into the eyes of a large fishman. His hands and feet were bleeding, but in his eyes he could see iron determination.

Madara smiled at him. "Good morning."

* * *

And cut! Chapter 2 is finished.

Well, I've shown a few changes in the timeline in this chapter, namely two. First, I've downgraded Hancock's age at her escape from sixteen to twelve, mainly because I didn't like the age-difference between Hancock and Luffy, being her being 29 and him being 17. The second alteration is that Ohara still stands. It will fall, but not before Madara visits it.

As most of you have guessed, Madara will not be a marine. He won't refer to himself as a pirate, but he will be labeled as one. He won't go out of his way to find a crew either, they will more or less flock to him, sometimes to his annoyance.

Next chapter Madara will let loose, and give the World Government a night it will not forget. He will also get a housewarming-present of sorts from the OP-World, and enjoy it greatly. He will NOT eat a devil-fruit, as to him, the cost is a little too high, but that doesn't mean that he won't gain any new abilities from this new world.

As I've mentioned before, my Madara has an ability from the show Heroes, that he will make liberate use of in this new world. Care to guess which one?

As for his Mangekyo, he will have his pocket-dimension and limited teleportation, but he won't have intangibility, as that just takes the whole fun out of it. What fun is a fight where one side just lets everything pass through him?

Well, that's all for now,

Please Review


	3. Burn it to the Ground

Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or One Piece

* * *

_Suddenly, a shadow fell on him. He looked up, and straight into the eyes of a large fishman. His hands and feet were bleeding, but in his eyes he could see iron determination._

_Madara smiled at him. "Good morning."_

-0-

The fishman blinked, confused. "Morning?" He asked, Madara's response clearly not being what he had expected.

Madara smiled. "Where I come from, morning begins exactly one minute into the new day."

The fishman looked at him. By the way this guy acted, and the way he _felt_, he was dangerous. "Are you a helper of the Tenryuubito?" He asked. If so, then he would have to die quickly.

Madara looked at the Tenryuubito he had just killed, the burning one, snorted and nodded enthusiastically. "Oh yes, yes, I help them. In fact, I'm helping them become something very important for the ecosystem." He said while chuckling.

"And what would that be?" The fishman asked.

Madara gave him a smile that reeked of so much cheerfulness that the fishman shivered. "Fertilizer." He answered.

The Fishman looked at the Tenryuubito that was a few feet away. "So you did that?"

Madara shrugged. "Guilty. So who am I talking to?"

The fishman looked at him, the determination once again burning in his eyes. "I am Tiger Fisher, an adventurer. I have come to free my fellow brethren from the Tenryuubito's clutches. Who are you, human?"

Madara nodded to himself. "You climbed the Red Line all by yourself? Well, it would explain the condition of your hands and feet. My name is Madara Uchiha. I hail from far away, and was swept here. A Tenryuubito claimed me as a slave. As I know little of the world, I remained here for a while, milking this place for information. When the Tenryuubito tried to brand me, I killed him. I had decided to do the world a favor and... reduce the number of Tenryuubito. I personally care little of the other slaves, but I will not stand in your way, and since our goals seem to be close enough, would you mind if I accompanied you for a while, Tiger Fisher? A little more chaos is needed to hunt these rats out of their holes. Oh, and if you haven't found her yet, there is a mermaid chained to a pool over there. The guy is one of the larger slave-owners, I think his name was Rosewart, or something like that."

Tiger spun around in the direction Madara was pointing and smashed the stone fence with a punch. Madara whistled in approval. He'd have to find some more information about fishmen. He had heard rumors that some could enact some control over currents and water in common, but hadn't found any fact to back that up. Then again, he didn't trust a book about fishmen written by a human any more than he would have trusted a sheep's evaluation of a steak. People wrote about stuff they didn't understand, for glory, for a few coins, for whatever, that was true in this world just as much as in his.

The mermaid was quickly freed and the house stormed. Tiger had asked Madara to take care of the human slaves, while he freed his brethren. As it seemed, the lord was not at home. What a shame. Still, Madara opened the door to the human slave quarters. He played cheery. "Good news people! Mariejois is burning and your contracts have been canceled. Everybody out." He couldn't help it. The sound of fire and the panicked shouts had made him giddy. It made him remember his old world, and some of the fights. Of course not everything back then was great, and Madara had been tired of fighting, but that thrill when one faced an enemy one-on-one, that rush when both fought with all they had... he missed that.

The people looked at him, frightened, and Madara sobered. "All jokes aside, Tiger Fisher and I came here to free you all. Mariejois is on fire, so they have more pressing things to do than look for some runaway slaves." He walked around, unlocking collars with the keys he had loote... pickpocketed from the guards. It wasn't like they'd need them, or anything else, in the foreseeable future.

Amongst the free slaves, he found the three he had noticed before, the two snake-women and the much too young dancer. They looked at him completely frightened, and whimpered at any physical contact. Great, trauma-patients. Once he had freed all of the slaves, he turned to them. "Listen all of you, and listen well! You are free! You have been enslaved, you have been humiliated, but NO MORE! Retribution has come to your oppressors, and freedom welcomes you back into its arms! BUT! But, there are still those who wish to enslave you once more! I say to you now, DO NOT LET THAT HAPPEN! Mariejois will burn, and nobody will pay any attention to you. An opportunity like this will never occur again! I tell you all here, Run! Run and NEVER GET CAUGHT AGAIN!" Madara knew how to work a crowd. Being a clan-head meant that one had to.

The slaves obeyed and ran. They ran like the hounds of hell were after them, through broken walls and gates opened so that help could enter and the Tenryuubito could escape.

On the way out, Madara met Tiger Fisher again. The two nodded at each other in mutual respect. Madara spoke. "Free the slaves Tiger, you deserve it for climbing the Red Line. I will create a distraction that will keep the idiots occupied."

Tiger nodded. This man had come not to save, although he happily did so, but to kill. And indeed, with Tenryuubito dying, nobody would pay attention to a fishman running around freeing slaves. "Good luck, Madara Uchiha."

Madara smiled. "And godspeed, Tiger Fisher. We will most likely not meet again. It was an honor to walk by your side." The fishman had an unbreakable will and a fierce spirit, both of these things Madara wished for in those that fought alongside him.

With that, the two separated, Tiger to free slaves, and Madara to slay enslavers.

-0-

Madara looked around. This was the type of battle that left him wishing for peace. It was not a clash of two enemies of great power and skill, this was slaughtering sheep, something that sickened him. Apparently rumors spread fast, as troops were starting to look for someone who killed Tenryuubito. Currently he had the blood of nine on his hands, plus that of a few soldiers who saw him. A lone Marine ran past him, and Madara grabbed his gun while sinking his other hand into the man's guts. He collapsed, and didn't get back up.

While he had never worked a weapon like this 'gun' before, he had seen it in use, and the principle was simple enough. You pointed that thing were you wanted the bullet to go, and pull the trigger. Reloading was a bit more tricky, but one shot and a decent club was really all Madara expected from this thing.

He looked around for a suitable target, and smiled. "What have we here?" He muttered. It was an entire flock of Tenryuubito, two men and two children, three of them wearing round helmets, the last man wearing what looked like the top half of an egg. Madara aimed for that one

Focus, activate Sharingan, calculate movements, make sure that it was a clear shot, correct aim, FIRE!

-0-

Roswald was running for his life, gently pushing his children ahead. Shalulia was looking around in terror, while Charloss seemed grumpy to leave the buffet-table. Roswald knew that his daughter was the sharper one of the two, and that she had heard the rumor that someone who was killing Tenryuubito when he had been informed. The fact that they had already spotted three dead Tenryuubito as they rushed along was doing nothing to calm them. Screaming, shouts, the sound of burning buildings, the sound of bullets being shot wildly into the air, everything was pandemonium! To his right ran the host of the party they had visited, Saint Lucist.

Secretly, Roswald blamed Lucist for all this. That stupid sword he had bought in an auction and bragged about the entire evening had brought the calamity onto their heads.

Suddenly, the sound of a single shot, a sound that should have drowned in the maelstrom of noise, rang through the air. Lucist stumbled, the sword slipping out of his fingers, and fell to the ground, where he laid motionlessly. His head had turned, and Roswald could see the hole in his forehead. Shalulia screamed.

Roswald looked around in panic, not believing that one would really dare lay hand on one of them, let alone murder them, praying that it had been a stray shot and a lot of bad luck that ended Lucist's life. He was disappointed. He saw him.

The man was tall, wearing a red armor of sorts, his long, spiky black mane flowing in a small breeze, his eyes, black as coals, promising horrible pain. In all the running, he was the eye of the storm, calm. Almost leisurely he started walking towards them, as if he had all the time in the world. Roswald pushed his children behind him and looked around for an escape-route. There was none. The man had, while still casually strolling towards them, snapped a Marine's neck, grabbed his sword, and gutted a Tenryuubito that had blindly run past him.

It was this act that told Roswald how dangerous this man was. It was not that he killed, nor his remorselessness when it came to killing, but the ease with which he did so. He ended lives with such carelessness, as if he was squashing flies. This man cared for nothing, one could read that in his eyes. Where were those admirals, vice-admirals, captains and everyone else that should come when Mariejois was attacked?

Roswald looked around, and spotted the blade Lucist had dropped. He grabbed it.

Madara raised a brow. Was this man seriously intending to fight him? No. Instead, he presented the blade to him, as an offering. How curious.

Roswald gulped, swallowing his pride. His children were more important than any pride. "Please, spare our lives. We have done you no wrong. Take this, but spare our lives. This is a Kitetsu of the First generation, one of the best blades in the world. Take it, but spare my children."

Madara looked at the blade. He took it out of the man's hands, who stumbled back and out of the blade's reach. After unsheathing it, he saw that it was indeed a marvelous sword, better than any blade he had seen in his own world. It held an intoxicating shimmer, with a hint of danger. Madara grinned. "It's cursed." He stated.

Roswald paled. "How did you...?"

Madara's attention was still focused on the blade. "One can feel that. It does not want to be in unworthy hands. Very well, I will spare your lives. Also, I have my honor. Children are innocent and should not easily be killed."

Roswald sighed in relief, before his eyes widened in horror. Charloss had taken his gun and was aiming it at the man. "Shut up! Die!" He called as he fired.

Madara effortlessly dodged, broke the boy's hand, smashed his helmet, and pressed him against the wall, a good foot over the ground. "Foolish boy," Madara hissed, now angered. "a weapon is not a toy! Do you even know what it means to point a weapon at another?"

Roswald was praying that his son had the sense to shut up and not draw this man's, no, this monster's ire any more than he already had. But Charloss sneered arrogantly. "I'm a Tenryuubito, if you touch me, an admiral will come."

Madara looked him in the eye. "Boy, up to this point, I have killed eleven Tenryuubito. Do you really think it will make any difference if I snap your neck?" Roswald, Shalulia and even Charloss were horrified. Madara ignored them. "But answer my question, boy. Do you understand what it means to point a weapon at another being?"

Charloss looked at him, fear in his eyes, but his arrogance unbroken. "Yes, it means that I kill you."

Madara backhanded the boy with enough to knock loose a few milk-teeth. "YOU ARROGANT IMBECILE! How conceited can you be?" He calmed down, and unleashed his _Sakki_. "Now listen fool, and listen well. Pointing a weapon, any weapon with lethal force, will give the following message; I want to kill you. I want to kill you enough that I am giving up all moral protections that have shielded me, and I am prepared that, if you are superior in this battle, you kill me! Pointing a weapon at another means that you are putting your life in two hands, yours and your enemy's!"

He looked at him, and Charloss wet himself at his next words. "By shooting at me, you have put yourself at my mercy, and I am not a merciful person."

Shalulia gulped and ran to Madara, slamming her little fists against his leg and torso, as high as she reached. "Let my brother go!" She shouted.

Roswald whimpered. They were doomed. Still, he walked beside his daughter, and pulled her back, trying to shield her.

Madara looked at them. Then he tossed the boy to his father, who collapsed under his son's weight and speed, while Madara went down to one knee, so that he and Shalulia were on eye-level. He pulled off her helmet, the girl shaking in fear. Then, to her shock, Madara patted her head. "That's a good attitude. Family is important, and it's good to see that you try to help your sibling. A bond of siblings can be a very beautiful thing." His mind wandered to his own brother, then, with a frown, to the rest of his family. "However, sometimes one has to look at relatives and decide whether or not one wants to be like them. Are you standing behind all decisions your family makes, and if no, can you bear staying around them? Are you prepared to go down with them should you decide to stay? Those are question every member of a family should ask themselves." He shook his head. "What's your name, girl?"

"Shalulia." The girl answered.

Madara gave her an honest smile. "My name is Madara Uchiha." He ruffled her hair one last time, then stood up, his new sword in hand. "Perhaps we will one day meet again. How that meeting will go is up to fate, and you."

Roswald stared at him. "Who are you to challenge heaven itself?"

Madara laughed. "I challenge nothing. I walk my path in life, and if heaven tries to block my way, I will burn down heaven."

With those words, he vanished. Literally. From one moment to the next, he was simply not there. Roswald, after checking that his son was unharmed, ran up to his daughter and gave her a critical look. After ensuring himself of her health, he hushed them to run, and reach a place where they would be amply protected. He never wanted to see that monster again.

-0-

Madara had chosen a different tactic. It was one he normally wouldn't use, but none of them could offer him a challenge anyways. He was, honestly spoken, waiting for those who could really fight to find him. Killing Tenryuubito was more a way to kill time than actually fueled by anger anymore. He had unleashed his anger at a few selective people, his frustrations on a few more, and now he really wanted a battle, not only to let loose, but to test his new blade. So he had located himself on the top of a tower, and looked down with his Eternal Sharingan and _Susanoo_ activated.

What few knew, was that _Susanoo_ had three forms. A defensive form, in which its defense was impenetrable by all, but it was limited to weaker close-range attacks, a close-range form, in which its defense was weaker, but it wielded the Sakekiri, meaning that its close-to-mid-range was on its ultimate level, and a long-range form, in which it had a bow with which it could hit a target dozens of miles away, but the weakest defense of its full forms. So the _Defense-Susanoo_ was strongest in defense, second in long-range, as it could throw something with high accuracy, and weakest in close-range. _Short-range-Susanoo_ was strongest in close-range, second in defense, and weakest in long-range, while _Long-range-Susanoo_ was best in long-range, second in close-range, since that bow did in fact increase the strength of the blows, and weakest in defense. It all balanced itself out.

Right now, _Susanoo_ was in long-range-mode, which thanks to the Eternal Mangekyo was surprisingly painless, and worked in coordination with Madara's will. Whenever Madara's eyes spotted a Tenryuubito, an arrow would skewer him.

"Twenty-eight...twenty-nine..." Madara looked up, deactivating _Susanoo_. A wave of lava was rising from his right. Madara grabbed his fan and swung it. Hurricane-force gales shot forward, pushing the wave back and cooling it to a solid form. A second burst of lava, this one more like a fountain, landing on the roof and taking shape of a man, before becoming one. Madara tilted his head.

"So this is the power of a logia-user. Interesting, I've never seen one before. Who are you?"

"I am vice-admiral Sakazuki. You are the one who murders Tenryuubito. How can you commit such atrocities?"

Madara smiled. "It's surprisingly easy. Look down at the people on the street, they're easy to spot."

Sakazuki was confused, and followed Madara's gaze. He saw all kinds of people running around, but nothing that... oh no.

"And an even thirty." Madara said. He had momentarily activated the _Susanoo_ to nail one that had just run out of his home.

Sakazuki turned at him, anger in his voice. "You're aiming for those with helmets?"

Madara laughed. "That's absolutely correct. The Tenryuubito claim that we filthy the air, so they were those helmets to be free. Personally, I think that the generations of incest has simply crippled their immune-system, but in any case, those helmets make them stand out in a crowd, and therefore easy targets."

Sakazuki growled. "How dare you? How dare you lay hand on the Tenryuubito? I won't wait for an admiral, I'm going to kill you myself. For justice!" He sent a punch of lava at Madara, who elegantly dodged.

Madara raised his hand. "Before we begin, I have one question. Are you strong?"

Sakazuki blinked. "I am a vice-admiral. That's not a position for wimps or paper-pushers. And now I will kill you for your crimes!" He turned his fist into magma and punched at Madara.

Madara jumped back and drew his new sword. "Time to put you to the test." He said to the blade, and felt it pulse in anticipation. A second magma-fist shot at him, and Madara cut it in half, before looking at the blade. "Excellent, it didn't melt. Now for the second test." While he was not a master with a sword, he was by no means an amateur. He had simply given up the weapon sword to master more uncommon weapons, like his fan and sickle. Still, it was time to see how much he had forgotten.

He dodged the next magma-fist, rushed at Sakazuki, and cut him horizontally in half. When he reformed, there was a shallow cut on his stomach. "So your logia-defense is not perfect. Note to self, learn _Haki_."

Sakazuki was obviously annoyed at being ignored, and shot a pillar of magma into the air, which formed into a hail of burning fists.

'Talk about overkill.' Madara thought as he jumped around, dodging the deadly projectiles. Then he saw that some of them hit population below, including a few slaves. Tiger would be very angry about the fishman that went down without a head. "Watch where you aim those things." He hissed.

Sakazuki looked down. "You care for them? In that case, they will die for justice!" He sent an even bigger pillar up.

Madara pulled out his fan again, swinging it seven times, the wind doubling with each stroke, until it would have blown a Sea King away. The magma was scattered. "Did you know? Lava is molten rock, in other words, rock in a liquid state. However, when liquid is met by high wind-resistance, it thins out and scatters into smaller and smaller drops. And the laws of physic state that the less mass an object has, the faster it cools out. So we can keep this up all day, and you will be doing nothing but letting pebbles rain from the sky."

Sakazuki growled. "How long do you intend to mock me?"

Madara shrugged. "You see, I am not prepared to fight a logia-user like you just yet. You are strong, and I want to fight you again, but not right now. You have yet to fully master your powers. I want you to be at your peak when I crush you." Suddenly his voice turned cold. "However, you involved innocents, even children into our battle." He unleashed his _Sakki_, and Sakazuki was forced to his knees. "For that, you need to be punished."

"What...is... this?" Sakazuki pressed out.

Madara ignored the question and crouched down to eye-level."Tell me what you cherish most, Sakazuki." He told him, before giving him an evil smile. "Give me the pleasure of taking it away from you."

Sakazuki actually managed a laugh. "You cannot take justice away!"

Madara frowned. "I see. Well then, since justice is too fickle a thing to be destroyed, a substitute will do." He looked around. "If I recall the books correctly, then this 'Holy' Land of Mariejois is known as one of the capitals of justice, no? Well, it will have to do."

Sakazuki forced himself onto one foot, still fighting with the _Sakki_. "What are you planning to do?" He demanded.

Madara seemed annoyed. "Something that requires concentration." He looked down and saw, through a hole that was molten into the ceiling that they were standing above a pool. He flashed through a few handsigns and muttered "_Mizubunshin no Jutsu_" Then he looked at Sakazuki. "I'll have to demand your silence. You really should chill."

Sakazuki was about to retort, when Madara's clone appeared behind him. "_Suiton: Suirou no Jutsu_" Before he could react, Sakazuki found himself encased in a orb of water, Madara secretly thankful that he had memorized and mastered a number of suiton from Tobirama, even though he never achieved the same mastery as the younger Senju.

Madara smiled. "The Achilles-heel of all Fruit-users, even the ones whose powers would evaporate or freeze the water become more helpless than infants when encased in water. Don't worry, you can still breathe, but moving is not an option right now. If you'll excuse me, I have to arrange your punishment." He turned to Mariejois, his Mangekyo spinning, and looked over the giant structure. "I think I will just cast it on the roofs and upper floors, it'll spread from there." He focused, and couldn't resist making a speech, voice-amplified of course, to both warn and intimidate every soul in Mariejois. It was childish, but he was in a good mood, seeing that Hashirama was dead and a whole new world was there to explore. "Oh godforsaken land that calls itself holy, hear my command. Burn for me Mariejois, burn seven days and seven nights in the fire of _Amaterasu_!"

Black flames appeared on the roofs and towers of Mariejois, quickly spreading under Madara's gaze, until the entirety of Mariejois's roofs was aflame, with the exceptions of the tower he was standing on and Valnist's house. It really wouldn't do if, after all the effort he had put into that man, the body would not be found. Madara decided to leave his prisoner and the burning city with one last quote that a guerrilla in his world had once spoken. "Aah. Havoc, chaos, panic, disorder, utter pandemonium. My work here is done." He _shunshin_ed away, deciding on getting closer to the West Blue by using land routes before heading to sea.

-0-

As Madara ran, Mariejois not even in sight anymore, he was twitching. These Devil Fruits were so fascinating. Madara wished he could... but no, he had promised his brother. The words still rang in his ears.

"_Promise me Madara, from brother to brother, that as long as you live in this world, you will never again do one of those experiments." Izuna had asked on his deathbed, after gifting his eyes to his stubbornly refusing brother that had eventually been knocked out for the transplantation._

"_I promise." His brother had passed away with a smile._

Wait a minute. He had held his promise, never broken it. But now he was no longer living in their world. That meant... that meant he could do it here, while still keeping the promise with his brother!

He had not even noticed that he'd stopped, but when he was tugged into the air, he did notice. Then he heard laughter. A tree grew in front of him, and a torso was growing out of the tree, wearing the top part of a Marine-uniform. "Well well, what have we here? I think I'll hand you over to my superiors, maybe I'll get a promotion? Or at least a share when you're sold as a slave to the Tenryuubito."

Madara smiled at him. "This is convenient. I just had an epiphany, but I still lacked a guinea-pig. Well, not anymore."

-0-

The chaos of Mariejois would remain infamous for decades to come. Not only because of the losses of that one night, but because they had lost the entire structure of Mariejois. The black flames burned slower than normal fire, but it was also more thorough, and immune to all attempts of extinguishing it. Water did not work. Cloth did not work. Shoveling earth on it didn't work. In the end, they had to evacuate the entire structure of Mariejois and watch the flames burn it to ashes. The man's words had become truth, as after seven days and seven nights, the fires simply extinguished, after having burnt almost five-hundred meters out of the Red Line's cliff.

It had taken over a day to find vice-admiral Sakazuki, trapped on that roof. One of the Marines had shot the figure imprisoning him in the head, after which he turned to water as the orb that had trapped the sputtering, coughing and cursing magma-man obeyed the law of gravity and fell, dissolving into a puddle.

It was only from an interview with Saint Roswald and his children, the only ones that had stood face-to-face with the culprit and walked away from it, that they learned his name. Madara Uchiha. Who was he? Men of such power didn't simply appear out of thin air.

The freshly promoted fleet-admiral Sengoku was prowling in his office in Marine-headquarters like a caged animal. His predecessor had retired when he read the news, part of it being blamed on him, and left the mess in Sengoku's hands. He looked around, and saw that the military-leaders, strategists and advisers he had asked for had arrived. "Let us get straight to the topic, ladies and gentlemen." He began "The Mariejois-incident. The losses are, there is no other word for it, horrible. The property-damage alone is somewhere in the two-digited billions. Then there is the loss of life. Marines and World Government Agents have dropped like flies, but that is not the worst of it. One attacker, Madara Uchiha, has single-handedly slain thirty Tenryuubito. Nine more died in the fire this man has caused, or in the resulting collapses of buildings, seven were killed by Fisher Tiger, a fishman that climbed the Red Line barehanded to free slaves, four were killed by stray shots, and two were trampled to death by panicked hordes. Altogether, fifty-two Tenryuubito lost their lives. That is more than a quarter of all Tenryuubito that currently exist in our world."

He took a deep breath. "The World Government has taken drastic steps to ensure their capture. Lets begin with the fishman. Tiger Fisher's bounty is raised from 102.000.000 beri to 325.000.000 beri. Madara Uchiha, who was formerly completely unknown, has been given the highest start-bounty in the history of our world, going from 0 beri straight to 473.000.000 beri. Also, both Madara and Tiger Fisher have been given the title of Sinner."

To understand the shock at the table, one must understand what that title holds. The Tenryuubito, in honor of their families' great achievements, were granted the title of Saint, a title that grants them many privileges. To be titled with Sinner, the polar opposite, one must commit horrible crimes. Someone who was a sinner had no rights whatsoever. His life was forfeit to whoever could take it, and there would be no repercussion. No shop was allowed to sell anything to a Sinner, the punishment for doing so being death. And while powerful pirates are sometimes approached by the government, a Sinner would not be approached if the world ended. They were known as the worst of the worst, and not even the Yonkou had been given that title. In fact, the title of Sinner had not been given to anyone in over four-hundred years.

Sengoku cleared his throat. "Also, all current operations of the Marines are put on hold. The stationed Marines will remain at their stations, but all Marines and World Government Agents not absolutely needed are being withdrawn to protect the remaining Tenryuubito. It is suspected that Madara Uchiha holds a strong hatred against them, and we cannot afford to allow all remaining descendents of the world's creators to be slaughtered. For the moment, the Buster Call is also blocked. In the face of this threat, we cannot afford to send five Vice-admirals and ten battleships away."

Tsuru, the Great Tactician, looked up. "What of the planned investigation of Ohara? The World Government told us to prepare for one."

Sengoku shook his head. "That too is currently put on hold. It will be done, but not now. As I said before, all available forces are used to protect the Tenryuubito from further attack."

So the Marines and the World Government pulled their forces close, preparing for an attack that never came. Madara, while disliking Tenryuubito, found them to far beneath him to actively waste energy seeking them out. He had other plans...

* * *

Chapter 3 is done. Took a while, but here it is. Don't know when the next chapter will be, I have a lot going on here right now.

Anyways, to clarify a few things. One of the reasons Madara had such easy pickings with Sakazuki was that nobody in the OP-world is prepared for a ninja, and everybody was and will be taken by surprise. And as to why Madara spared Sakazuki, make no mistake. This was not done out of a Narutoish pity on thy foe, but it was a deliberate move to humiliate him. Death Sakazuki could have taken, being prepared for it as a warrior, but to have to helplessly watch how the the symbol of your beliefs burn down, that is a horrible torture and the ultimate humiliation.

And to those wondering 'How could Sakazuki breathe?', the answer is simple. It is my firm belief that the _Suiro no Jutsu_ allows breathing and communication. How else do you explain that Kakashi could say things under water that Team 7, being at least thirty feet away and not in the bubble, could easily understand?

And no, Tiger Fisher will not join Madara's crew. His dislike for humans is too great, not to mention that his crew consisted of fishmen, meaning that it is likely that his ship could submerge and stay like that for days, in which case even Madara would drown.

As most of you will have already guessed by now, Madara's next stop is Ohara, which will be the focus of my next chapter. If I get to it, you will all see which 'Heroes'-power I have given Madara, though before you actually see it in action, I plan to have a flashback of sorts to reveal how he got hit. It will have something to do with how I designed Devil-Fruits to work in this story.

And to the less-observant, hopefully none of my readers, the housewarming-present was the Kitetsu, a blade equal to Mihawk's Black Sword. The only reason Mihawk's is called THE strongest instead of one of the strongest is the fact that nobody would wield the cursed blade. In reality, the blades are equal.

And no, Madara cannot summon the bijuu, or anything else, since he never made a contract with any animals, relying on his own strength and skills. Oh, and Madara has some skill in sealing. He's no genius, but he can do some basic stuff, and he put the seals on his fan himself. Let's be honest, does anyone seriously believe Madara would carry a weapon as unhandy as his fan around if the thing wasn't special in some way?

Now to answer a few Questions.

Q: Will Madara return to his own world?  
A: Maybe at the very end, in an epilogue. But most likely not. He got to the OP-world by sheer coincident, he doesn't know how to use it to ensure that he lands in his world. He doesn't want to get stuck in some alien world without air, and I just don't want to make this a dimension-hopping type of story.

Q: Pairings?  
A: Undecided.

That's all for now, so

Please Review


	4. Learning, Experimenting, and Encounters

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece, Naruto, or Heroes

* * *

Madara chuckled to himself. He had gained an excellent specimen for his first experiment in this new world, as the man's powers were logia, allowing him to turn into plants, and manipulate them. It reminded Madara of Hashirama's power, who he had always wanted on his workbench, but never could because of his promise to Izuna.

The man had put up a good fight, until Madara had used his first genjutsu. These people were completely helpless against that, and the man had succumbed to the illusion Madara had originally planned as a temporary distraction.

Still, he currently lacked a few things for his experiments, namely a lab, equipment and a certain solution. So he had to improvise. He had locked the marine into a trance so deep that the man was practically brain-dead, which allowed him to bypass the restriction on living things. Humans normally couldn't be sealed into scrolls, because the chakra interfered with the stability of the artificial dimension, despite the fact that no time passed in said dimension. But with the brain-activity at zero, there was no mental energy, meaning that there was no chakra. This method was accepted for prisoners, but not advised for ambushes, as awakening from such an experience was extremely disorienting. But as Madara had no intention of allowing his enemy to ever wake again, the point was moot.

That had been the easy part.

The difficult part was getting to Ohara. Crossing the continent at full ninja-speed had taken more than a week, and then he faced the problem that he didn't know much about navigation. In the end, he ran over water to the nearest island, where, after pickpocketing a sizable fortune, making liberate use of the _henge_, a jutsu he had once thought useless, and a little bit of Izuna's hypnosis, he managed to get himself to the island closest to Ohara. From there he only had to keep the rough direction, as he was ensured that the giant tree was almost impossible to miss.

And it was. He reached the island just before dawn, exactly five weeks after burning down Mariejois, and managed to infiltrate without being seen. He then had to decide on a _henge_-disguise. He decided to shorten his hair until it barely reached his shoulders, straightening it out while changing it's color to copper and pulling it in a ponytail. His armor was replaced by simple clothes, brown pants, a blue shirt and boots. His eyes turned a vivid amethyst, while his face widened a little more, losing it's aristocratic features, giving him more of a rugged good look. To top it off, a short beard covered his jaw, reaching above his lips. Nothing dramatic, just the look of someone who hadn't shaved in a few days, or rather chose not to shave. Altogether, he would probably turn a few heads, but less than if he walked in his real form, even in the unlikely case that news of his deeds in Mariejois hadn't spread yet. Still, he looked forward to what he could learn here.

-0-

He had entered the village, pretending to have arrived with a boat that had conveniently come by this morning to bring some supplies and books. Altogether, this was a peaceful town, nothing like his home, where every house was built with defense in mind, and battle was a common occurrence. The people were mostly friendly, giving short nods, which he answered alike. The biggest surprise was when he found a board showing wanted-posters, and found a picture of his real appearance.

'When was that taken?' He wondered, before whistling at the bounty. 'That's a lot. I'm almost tempted to turn myself in for that amount.' He mentally joked, before turning to the nearest passerby, a portly woman with curly reddish hair. For some reason, Madara instantly disliked her. "Excuse me, I am unfamiliar with your beautiful island, and since I am working on a problem, a friend suggested the Oharan library. Unfortunately he forgot to tell me what it looked like." He really had no idea, and if the stuff was as important as the book he'd read made it out to be, then it might be underground.

The woman frowned. "You want to go there, where those oddballs are? I mean, of course, the library of Ohara is famous around the world, so you've come to the right place. It's carved into the Tree of Knowledge, just follow that road, you can't miss it."

Madara nodded his head. "My gratitude."

With that, he left, heading towards knowledge. After all, if one doesn't know how it was built, he cannot truly fathom how and why it stands.

-0-

Meanwhile, in Marine-Headquarters, another discussion about the mysterious Madara had errupted.

Sengoku walked up and down his new office, looking at Tsuru. "It has been more than a month now, and we still don't have a single clue as to where this Madara could be! The Gorousei are already furious with the loss of Mariejois. Even if the new structure is twice as grand as the old one, the World Government has been humiliated. The Holy Land of Mariejois was the symbol of the World Government for over 800 years, and now it's gone. Not just the structure, but we can't even rebuild it, as the very ground it stood on is gone. And the culprit has up and vanished, so retribution is not an option. We have to bear the humiliation that a single man infiltrated Mariejois, killed numerous Tenryuubito, destroyed the Mariejois beyond any salvage, and vanished into the mist. The only good news is that the remaining Tenryuubito have not been attacked, though that may be because that bastard wants us to drop our guard."

Tsuru nodded. "Tiger Fisher's attack would have been enough of a scandal, but that man throws the world into chaos. Mariejois was not only a symbol, it was a meeting-place for kings, and residence for our most important, namely the Tenryuubito and the Gorousei, latter of which have stationed themselves here."

Sengoku dropped into his seat. "And worst of all, we have no idea what power this Madara has. The destruction of Mariejois would suggest a fire-based fruit, though the attack on vice-admiral Sakazuki would suggest a water-fruit, which would be impossible since water is the weakness of all devil-fruits, and it would be a paradox. Not to mention that witnesses reported that the Tenryuubito were killed by giant arrows that vanished a moment later. What fruit could grant such powers?"

Tsuru sighed. "We know nothing of him. We don't even know enough to give him a codename, as there is nothing precise to set him apart."

That was true. They had sought a name, and though many popped up, nothing that really fitted. The first suggestion had been Godslayer, since he murdered the Tenryuubito, who were divine by the definition of the World Government, but voices had risen that such a title would perhaps sound too grand. Hell's Archer had come up, but with a Kitetsu of the first Generation, assuming it didn't kill him, that would soon no longer fit, as only few would buy a cursed item. Someone had suggested antichrist, after a figure out of a religion that prospered in some countries, but the reference was too obscure. Tsuru had in frustration suggested enigma, just to end the meeting, and it actually was in the race. Still, they had more pressing worries than a title, considering the only title they really wanted Madara to have was 'Madara the corpse'.

"The Marine is currently on red alert. The Buster Call is still blocked, and I was told that that won't change until we're certain Madara is not after the Tenryuubito, which they will be only after at least two more months, and even then it will be limited to operations with the World Government."

Tsuru rubbed the bridge of her nose. "That man is just a giant complication given human form."

-0-

Madara knocked on the door in the tree. He found it odd that the people had cut away at the lower bark, as that would weaken the stability, though the base was still gigantic. When the door opened, he was momentarily taken aback.

The man who opened had his hair and beard styled so that it looked like a three-leaved clover. What the hell. "Good morning." The man spoke. "My name is professor Clover, how can I help you?"

The only thought that went through Madara's head was 'You're shitting me. Clover? Are you for real?' Still, he cleared his throat. "Good morning. My name... is Izuna Nara. You see, I was born far away, and one day realized that I knew little about this world, so I decided to travel. I was told that this was the greatest of all libraries, especially in history, so..."

Professor Clover smiled. "So you came here. Quite understandable my boy, come right in."

Madara entered, and whistled. "Color me impressed."

Clover nodded. "Yes, the library is our heart and soul. You can take any book you want, though please don't leave the library with them. They're ordered in three layers. First, here are the more common books, which you can freely read. The further you go in, and up, the rarer the texts become, and I ask you that if you want to read anything from category III or higher, please consult one of our scholars, as we have to supervise you to ensure that the text isn't damaged. The second distinction is, of course, by topic, while in the topics, the books are ordered alphabetically. We ask that you put a book back where you got it from, unless you notice it was misplaced. Any questions so far?"

Madara looked around. "Just two. How long is the library open, and where can one wash his hands to continue reading after a meal?"

Clover laughed. "A man after my own heart. The library is open around the clock, as there are always scholars working, of course different ones, but all the same. As for washing hands, we have bathrooms."

Madara rubbed his hands, then showing them to prove they were clean. "Do you mind if I start now?"

Clover laughed. "Of course not Izuna, help yourself. I'll pass by sometime to see how you're doing."

Madara nodded, and went to the first bookshelf. Category I, Biology, A-C. He pulled out a few books, and started reading.

-0-

A few hours later, Professor Clover decided to check up on the man that had come. He had halfway expected him to be gone, bored by all the reading, but he was still sitting there, two orderly piles of books framing him. He glanced at the titles, and found they were, while still biology, from the lower half of shelf D-F. Also, Izuna seemed to be looking for something, as he only scanned the pages for a second or two, before flipping to the next page. He walked down to him. "Are you looking for anything in particular?" He asked.

Izuna shook his head. "Not really. I'm more interested in general information."

Clover nodded. "But why are you only skimming over the books?"

"What?" Izuna asked, before he had an epiphany. "Of course, you couldn't have known. You see, I was born with a rather unusual gift, if I do say so myself. I have a photographic memory, which allows me to read faster than normal."

Clover's brows raised. "Really? Do you mind if I test that?"

Izuna shrugged. "Please. The pile to my right is the books I've already read."

Clover picked one from the middle, and opened it. "Please recite the text on page 74, starting at the 29th word."

Izuna looked at the title and frowned. "...to remember that, while most of these creatures are harmless, there exists a sub-species, identified by the red stripe on its head, that contains a deadly poison which dissolves tissue, and is highly aggressive. The only known antidote it the fruit of the curtola-tree, which these predatory birds must eat to prevent their own poison from killing them. This thankfully flightless subspecies is therefor only found in areas which support the growth of..."

Clover's eyes had widened as Izuna word for word recited 'Poisonous Creatures of the North Blue', by Olf Cortner. "That's enough, thank you. What an amazing gift."

Izuna, or rather Madara, smiled. 'Yes, the Sharingan is a wonderful tool.' Loud he only replied "Thank you."

Clover smiled at him. "So how long do you intend to stay on Ohara?"

Izuna shrugged. "I have a lot of time, so probably as long as I can. Either when I read every book, or when you get tired of me and kick me out." The last part was spoken in a humored tone, and Clover laughed.

"Far be it, Izuna my boy! It's good that there are still those that seek knowledge in this world. I'm old, and most of my colleagues are also at an advanced age. Every young man and woman who willingly seeks knowledge warms our hearts, as it shows us that our work will continue even after we have passed."

Izuna frowned. "Now now, it's a little early for such talks, professor. You still have your best years ahead of you."

Now Clover really laughed, and patted his back, Madara being grateful that the _henge_ was solid. "If you say so, my boy. But as I said before, call us if you want to read rarer and more valuable texts."

Izuna smiled. "I will." With that, he turned back to the book.

-0-

Secretly Madara had begun to wonder what was wrong with him. He had never been this giddy or friendly before. He pondered this newest change in personality, and finally came up with an explanation. It was because he was free.

Back in his world, there had always been pressure and expectations on him. Pressure of being a member of the Uchiha-clan, having to meet high expectations the moment he learned to walk, pressure of being the head of such a powerful clan, then of being a founder, and finally, of being the only one who could put a stop to Hashirama's madness. There had always been this weight on his shoulders, forcing him to be cold, supreme and emotionless.

Here in this world, nobody had known him, nobody could pressure him. Of course, there was a bounty on his head, but while some may expect different things from him, their thoughts were without consequence for Madara. He was not accountable to anyone but himself, he owed nobody but himself. All the things that had weighed him down back home, here, they were nothing. Nobody could demand anything from him, and nobody had a right to expect things from him. There were no blood-feuds to settle, no bitter enemy that had to be stopped, the only thing that was here was Madara, and what he wanted to do.

Madara had, in his entire life, never played around, or really enjoyed something, but here, there was an entire world to explore, and nobody to tell him what to do. He chuckled.

"This is certainly new." Madara muttered to himself. He smiled. "Well, it might be fun."

-0-

Madara stayed for two months, reading and expanding his knowledge. The library had five rarity-grades, and he had read everything up to Category IV, though a few works might have slipped past him, and Category IV still had half its content for Madara to read. The scholars liked him, as he not just blindly believed what he read, but asked questions and developed his own ideas. In fact, they had allowed him to stay in the library hours after the sun went down, and most scholars slept.

In one of those occasions, he finally managed to sneak into the hidden room he had noticed on his first day, without anyone noticing. He found a room, thankfully empty, which had no books in it. Instead, there were handwritten papers spread all over, and a giant square rock with odd carvings. Madara made a few _Kage Bunshins_ to read the texts, and memorized the rock. Then he left and meditated, preparing for the moment that the clones would dispel and send back the information they had gathered. Of course, only one dispelled every fifteen seconds, to prevent him from getting migraine.

He had read about the Void Century before, but the knowledge and theories the Oharans had developed were way beyond anything else. What they were doing warranted their executions.

Madara had to laugh when he realized this. They were acting so similar to himself back then, figuring things out, damning the consequences. It was how he had researched.

On that note, he had finally found a place where he could do what he had wanted to do with the plant-man. He had been surprised when the lower brainstem turned into plant, allowing him to remove the brain from the head without severing the connection to the body, aka the oxygen-supply. This was awesome. While he studied the brain, the veins around his eyes bulging, he remembered how it had started.

-0-

_Flashback_

_Izuna was worried. Madara had grown odd over the last year. He had locked himself in his lab, occasionally taken defeated enemies, delivering their bodies a few days later. Finally, he decided to visit his brother's lair._

_Izuna was almost physically ill when he saw the inside of Madara's room. It was tiled, giving more the look of a laboratory. On a shelf were brains in tagged jars, though Izuna didn't bother reading them. In front of a lone desk, his brother was sitting, looking horrible. He had rings around his eyes, and he obviously hadn't washed for a few days. Izuna was sure that if Madara had facial hair aside from his eyebrows, they would show he hadn't shaven either. He was wearing a white coat, stained with blood._

"_Madara? What are you doing?" He demanded._

_Madara looked up. "Izuna. I don't recall giving you permission to enter. But no matter. What I'm doing here Izuna, is researching kekkei genkai. What allows them to work?"_

_Izuna stared at his brother. "It's blood, genetic abnormalities, what else."_

_Madara pointed at him. "Exactly, what else? You see, it is an interesting fact that while we can identify individuals by genetic traces, but not a single test has ever been able to show if someone had a kekkei genkai. We can prove that they belong to a clan, but what is responsible for the fact that some members have kekkei genkai and other members don't? And where lie the origins of kekkei genkai? Every chromosome is checked, every part of the DNA deciphered, yet the nature of these powers elude us. I have developed a theory."_

_Izuna looked at his brother, who seemed to be the embodiment of a mad scientist right now. "What is your theory?" He asked._

_Madara laughed. "It's simple. Kekkei genkai is a completely wrong term. It has nothing to do with our blood. The real secret," He tapped his forehead "is right here. Kekkei genkai are an abnormality in the process of the mind. Don't you see Izuna? All humans have the potential for all kekkei genkai of the world in them, and likely countless more, but our brain doesn't allow us to function in a way to activate them. Those that have kekkei genkai's are not granted with a different body by biology, they were born with a defect that allows their brain to work in ways that a normal brain doesn't, which coincidentally matches the requirement for a specific ability. This ability allows him to perform better, which according to biology allows the individual to be more successful in spawning offspring that inherit the defect, spreading the bloodline. Of course such a power may be prone to change, how else did our Sharingan come out of the Sage's Rinnegan? His wife's genes altered the brain of the child, altering its powers. Clans intermarry because the genes of outsiders could blur their genes, robbing the child of the bloodline, so it is forbidden, even if new bloodlines could be found by that. And it's not just biology. We can alter our own brain-pattern to awaken more bloodlines, or lose what we have. Humans change, and those changes can effect kekkei genkai. There were traumatized fighters who no longer could use their limit, even after their trauma was over. The doctors say that they are subconsciously blocking their abilities, but I say that what they went through changed the working of their brains, and they are simply no longer able to utilize their abilities."_

_Izuna stared at his brother. In a odd way, his words made sense. But Madara wasn't done._

"_But the opposite can also happen. You and I are the best examples. We killed our best friends on accident. This traumatization has caused an alteration in our brains, which allowed us to unlock a new bloodline very similar to our original one."_

_Izuna's eyes widened. "The Mangekyo? You're telling me that you think the Mangekyo is different from the Sharingan, and only has similar abilities? So you're saying that it would be possible for a clan with Mangekyos but no Sharingan to exist somewhere?"_

_Madara nodded. "Yes. Granted, the odds are small, but it is possible. I am trying to find these alterations. A normal Sharingan would not do it, but the Mangekyo has increased abilities for analysis. It took over two years, but I now know how a brain that can activate no ability works, so the groundwork is done. I can finally proceed to learning how kekkei genkai work."_

_Izuna looked at him. "What for?"_

_Madara smiled. "Thoughts, the very function of our mind and body, is nothing but the transmission of electrical signals. Once I find out how..." Instead of continuing, Madara channeled Lightning-chakra into his hand, letting sparks dance through his fingers._

_Izuna stared. "You think you can forcefully seal or activate kekkei genkai?" He asked in disbelief._

_Mad laughter escaped Madara's lips. "Exactly! It will take work though. Would you mind leaving me alone for now?"_

_Izuna tiredly shook his head, retreating out of the room. He had to report this to father. Madara was destroying himself, and the clan-head would surely stop him._

-0-

"_What do you mean you will let this go on?"_

_Izuna's father sighed. "Understand, Madara's work is important. If it succeeds, then we may have a way to gain Mangekyo-wielders without having to murder. We may even regain the Rinnegan, which was lost ever since the Sage of the Six Paths."_

_Izuna growled. "If you're that desperate for it, why don't you try breeding it with the Senju? They have the other half of the Sage's DNA, after all. My brother is destroying himself with that work, have you even seen him?"_

_"IZUNA, WATCH YOUR TONGUE!" His father shouted, enraged._

_Izuna realized he was out of line. "I apologize father, but what Madara is doing is not good for him. Even if his work would work, if he kills himself over it, all our clan will have is one less Mangekyo. He doesn't wash, he barely eats, I'm uncertain if he even sleeps. It's not healthy."_

_That argument gave pause. Of course, the results of Madara's work could make the Uchiha great, but losing Madara would be a harsh blow._

_After five minutes of silence, he finally nodded. "Izuna, inform your brother that he is to dine with the family at least five times a week, that he is to eat when he is brought food, to ensure that he is presentable, and that he sleeps at least six hours every night."_

_Izuna's fist clenched. This was not what he was hoping for, but he had to deal with it for now. "Yes father."_

-0-

_Madara had not been happy, but he obeyed the command his father had given. Still, Izuna's worry increased rather than ease. After a few months, he entered Madara's room once more, only to find his brother weighing a brain in his hands, looking at it from all sides._

"_There's something missing." Muttered Madara. "I know I'm close. This should do it." With that, he put the brain back into the jar, floated two drops with chakra, and dripped something into his eyes._

"_Madara, what are you doing?" Izuna demanded._

"_The Byakugan. It should be simple, as all it allows you to do is perceive light invisible to a normal human's eye. But it seems that I've underestimated it's complication. There seems to actually be a slight anomaly in the makeup of their eyes. But now, I should be able to..."_

_Izuna's eyes widened. "You injected yourself with Hyuuga-DNA? Are you insane? That has been tried before, and all lost their Sharingan without getting anything, even at only 0.05 milligram!"_

_Madara absentmindedly shook his head. "Don't worry, I used much less. It shouldn't really effect anything, it should merely make the eye more sensitive to light it normally can't perceive."_

"_How much was it?" Izuna demanded._

_Madara shrugged. "4.7 nanogram. The rest was merely a eye-relaxant. I sometimes get the feeling that something's off with my vision, and it helps."_

_Izuna had to admit that that was really wasn't much. Still... He noticed another set of drops, probably a spare, and made a decision. Using chakra, he pulled the drops up._

_Madara froze. "Izuna, what are you doing?" Izuna didn't answer. Instead, he sent the drops into his open eyes. Madara tried to stop him. "Izuna, NO!" But it was too late. "What have you done?"_

_Izuna looked at his brother. "I am tired of seeing you decompose like this brother. I may not be the leader of the Uchiha-clan, but I expressly forbid you any self-experimentation. I will do anything that you do to yourself to myself if you don't stop it."_

_Madara looked at his brother, then he sighed. "Alright Izuna, you win. I'm not going to use myself as a guinea-pig anymore."_

_Izuna smiled sadly. He knew that it would take more to stop his brother._

-0-

_A few months later, Madara laughed out loud. It had finally worked! Granted, it was a very inferior version of the Byakugan, but now, if he absolutely concentrated on a object for a few minutes, he could see through it, layer for layer. It wasn't much, but Madara was working from scratch, so it was a first success. One that would make the future study much easier. If he now could scan the brain layer for layer without damaging it, then perhaps the assimilation would go from taking months to taking days._

_However, before he could work any further, he was called to battle._

_Where both he and Izuna found out that their eyes degenerated with usage of the Mangekyo's abilities. Soon after Izuna learned that he had cancer. Three days later, Madara was knocked unconscious after refusing to be implanted with his brother's eyes._

_After he woke up, finding the world suddenly too clear, he rushed to Izuna, only to learn that his brother was laying on his deathbed._

-0-

_Madara barged into the room. "Izuna, what have you done?"_

_His brother, now blind, smiled weakly. "What was necessary. I am dying Madara, and the Mangekyo cannot be lost, not now." He grimaced, before speaking again. "I don't have much time left Madara, so promise me one thing."_

_Madara looked at his brother. "Anything."_

"_Promise me Madara, from brother to brother, that as long as you live in this world, you will never again do one of those experiments." _

_Madara bit his lip. All he had worked for, he was just supposed to give up? For what?_

_For his brother. "I promise."_

_Izuna smiled. "Thank you, bro...the..." He was dead._

-0-

_The clan had urged him to continue, but Madara, bound by the oath he had given his dying brother, had said that it was enough, and sent all the things he had used in his work to his private dimension, where it would be safe from all attempts to reconstruct his work, not that it would work._

_Looking back, that was probably one of the reason the clan had betrayed him._

_End of Flashback_

-0-

Madara sighed. Back in those days he really had been obsessed. It had gone so far that, after picking apart the brains of Senju and even some Uchiha that had fallen in battle, so it would be a Sharingan and not a Mangekyo, he had grabbed a no-name mother and child, and used Lightning-chakra to alter their brainpattern into both Uchiha and Senju, just to see if it really created the Rinnegan. The woman hadn't taken it, he pattern fixing itself after a few hours, but the infant, less than a day old, had accepted the alterations, although nothing had come out of it. Madara suspected that there was a condition for the activation, but the odds that an infant would get to meet them before at least five years old was rather small, and Madara had lost sight of the little girl in the endless fighting. Last he heard they were heading to Ame, but after his brother's death, he had lost interest in his research. If the Rinnegan awakened he might have paid a visit, but the fights and then Hashirama's ploy had kept him busy.

However, in this world, while there were no bloodlines, his research could continue. Not in the obsessed way that it had before, he owed that much to Izuna, but he had a theory about Devil-fruits.

It was simply not possible that a fruit altered the entire body in less than twenty seconds. For a complete renewal of the body, years would be needed, which had left Madara to wonder what, since he didn't believe in devils, could cause such changes, and he had come to a conclusion.

Devil-fruits contained neurotoxins. They damaged the brain in specific ways, which caused an alteration in the brain that in turn awakened specific abilities. The disability to swim was likely a result of the nerve-damage, destroying the portion of the brain that held all knowledge of how to stay afloat, or perhaps the toxin simply caused the body to slacken when submerged. However, it likely only had a short lifespan outside its fruit, so the toxin decomposed when subjected to fresh air. The reason that one bite out of a fruit caused the next one that bit off to not be affected was likely that it only lasted a few seconds in fresh air before decomposing in a chain-reaction.

Essentially, all who ate such a fruit poisoned themselves, the poisons altering their brains, though every type of fruit contained a slightly different toxin. And while he didn't buy the whole 'only one fruit exists at a time and until the one who ate it died, there will be no new one', he could believe that those fruits grew very slowly, perhaps with only one every fifty, or even hundred years.

To his joy, it not only turned out that he was correct, but that his Eternal Mangekyo, a ability that had awoken after the trauma of finding out that one had his brother's organs, it didn't have to be the eyes, and replaced his Mangekyo, was even better at understanding than his old eyes, and what he suspected to take days took less than ten minutes to comprehend. Of course, altering his brainpattern from default to plant took exactly fifteen seconds, and again required absolute concentration, just as changing it back did.

It was a tricky procedure, and a mistake could easily have very uncomfortable consequences, but in the end, a success was a success.

-0-

Sengoku sighed. The three months had passed, and Madara had not made a single appearance. There was not even a rumor about his whereabouts, and while that was worrying in and of itself, it truly seemed that Madara had no further interest in the Tenryuubito.

So the world government had informed them that the Buster Call was now restricted instead of blocked, and that one should be prepared for Ohara. It would take exactly one week until the ships were ready and floating at Ohara's coast.

Sengoku prayed that nothing went wrong.

-0-

Another interesting meeting Madara had was with a little girl that lived on the island. She was cute, with black hair, tanned skin, and blue eyes, and apparently she was quite lonely. Madara had first met her under quite unusual circumstances.

-0-

Madara had to on occasion leave the library, mainly to buy food. On one of his trips back, he noticed a quartet of kids running in a direction, and curious, decided to follow them.

He found them in front of a clearing, observing another girl, who seemed to be reading. He dimly recalled seeing her a few times in the library, but aside from that, he knew nothing of her. Then he noticed that the other kids were picking up rocks, and his eyes narrowed when they threw them.

"Monster, monster." One called, while another shouted "Why don't you just die, nobody misses you anyways!"

Okay, that was enough. Madara approached the children, but it seemed the girl could fend for herself. At first he thought her hand was stretching, then he saw that hands were sprouting, a new one out of the palm of the one before it, until they bonked the closest brat, apparently the leader, on the head.

"Ah, the monster's attacking!" One cried out, and they spun around... only to be face to stomach with Madara.

Said man looked down on them. "Throwing rocks. Really now. If you were my children, I'd give you all a good smack for this. You don't just throw rocks at others."

"Who cares, she's a monster." The girl of the group called out.

Madara looked to the attacked girl, who looked almost confused that someone would take her side. "You there, what's your name?"

"Me?" the girl asked. "I'm Robin. Nico Robin."

Madara gave her a friendly smile. "Well then Robin, could you look after my shopping?" He nodded towards his bags "seeing that I have my hands full with these rascals." And really, two kids each were hanging from his outstretched arms.

Madara looked at them. "So, you think throwing rocks at others is fun, huh? Maybe we should let Robin try that game, see how she likes it."

"That's different. Robin's a monster!" The boy declared.

Madara looked at them. "She ate a Devil-fruit, that's all. Many others did too. Many marines, and many pirates. What do you think will happen if they here you call them monsters? I know of a vice-admiral that can turn into lava, that's monstrous. Will you throw rocks at him too? I warn you beforehand, he has very little patience for such things."

The kids shook their heads. Madara snorted. "Didn't think so. Really, four of you must gather so you're brave enough to attack one girl, what heroes. You should cool your tempers, but you probably can't even swim."

Now the kids were upset. "What?" "Of course we can swim!" "We're not babies!"

Madara looked at them, playing shocked. "So all four of you can swim."

Four heads nodded.

"You are all really good swimmers?"

They laughed. "Of course! We're the best of our age, not like the monster."

Madara's grin turned evil. "Good, then I won't have a guilty conscience when I do this."

They hadn't noticed, but Madara had carried them to a shore while talking, so he was now standing over a cliff, dropping nine feet before reaching the water, which was fairly deep. Madara had a few clones mentally map out the island beforehand, so he knew the route. With those words, he tossed the children over the edge, and into the water.

He wasn't worried, thirty feet away was a beach that they could climb from. He turned to Robin. "I'm pretty sure I've seen you a few times in the library. So, what are you interested in?"

Robin happily talked about her interest in archeology, and Madara was impressed by the girl's knowledge.

After they said their goodbyes, Madara looked out to the ocean. Something was coming, he could feel that in his bones. His old friends, fire and death, would soon come over this land to claim it. And he wasn't even done with the library yet.

* * *

Chapter 4 is finished. A little later than some might have hoped, especially with me making that blunder and updating the wrong story. I still don't know how that happened. In return, I wrote a slightly longer chapter.

Well, I guess this makes it clear. I have given Madara Sylar's ability to gain the powers of others by analyzing their brains. I have given a reason for why this works, and a theory about both Devil-fruits and kekkei genkai, which would match with the latest twist Kishimoto came up with, Madara claiming to have given the Rinnegan to Nagato. To those who are wondering, the infant was Nagato's mother. Anyways, Madara's ability is not absolute. First of all, he needs time to alter his brainpattern to allow him to use the taken ability without losing his Eternal Mangekyo, and he is a sitting duck in the meantime. Also, he needs to practice in order to be able to perfectly use the ability, so unlike Sylar, he doesn't instantly have it down. At the current point, he can only use one fruit-power at a time, and changing between powers takes as long as activating them does. And no, Madara does not have Sylar's insane hunger for more powers, and he definitely won't cut Robin open.

Oh, and logia-users can survive the operation, and a few paramecias might as well, like Luffy or Buggy, not that I'm saying either will be used.

Madara will never actually eat a Devil-fruit, as he feels that the drawbacks definitely don't outweigh the glaring weaknesses.

Regarding Madara's crew, I haven't decided on all members, though it will be a mix out of canon-characters and at least one OC that I decided on, though I'm generally careful with those, as they can easily destroy whole stories when not controlled. And no, Robin won't be a member. She'll join Luffy's crew. I just like her there.

Oh, and Madara's personality may be a bit unstable in the beginning, him shifting from somber to giddy in moments. That is because he for the first time is really free from all, and doesn't know how to react to the situation yet.

Another thing I'm having trouble on is deciding Madara's nickname. Antichrist was tempting, but the only nun I saw so far in OP was a bounty-hunter, so I'm not sure how far Christianity has spread. In the end, the man is just too versatile, and with the stealing of abilities, will become even more so, so I ask this here. Do you have a suggestion for Madara's nickname?

Oh, and someone criticized Madara using violence against Charloss. It is true that in our society, violence is generally a sign of helplessness, commonly used when one runs out of arguments, but please remember that Madara was born in a world that was in constant conflict, and into a clan that trained its members to be killers from childhood. Physical punishment is not drastic, it is actually a very likely statement to say that the Uchiha-clan and most other clans used physical punishment to discipline their younger members, the Hyuuga still do! So Madara resorting to violence would only be him acting on the only basis of child-raising that he himself knew. If anyone watched Kingdom of Heaven, there is a very practical example in it. "That is your vow." SLAP "And that is so you don't forget it."

And yes, Madara is out of character. Madara's character is that of an evil megalomaniac, not exactly hero-material. So I altered his personality, since canon-Madara would be more likely to join up with 'my' Hashirama than fight him, at least until the bijuu are gathered.

As for Madara's speech towards the boy, I came up with that myself, and I actually believe that. If you point a lethal weapon at someone, then the gloves are off, no matter who you are.

And to what FTFCHRIS said, point taken, I'll reconsider, though that doesn't necessarily change the decision. Point is, he doesn't have it right now.

Now, to answer a few questions.

Q: Will Madara meet Gol D. Roger?  
A: No, Roger has been executed nine years before Madara's arrival. And for the last time, YES, I moved Ohara's destruction by seven years, it was intentional!

Q: Will Madara meet Luffy?  
A: The odds are very high, more I won't say at this point

Q: Is the OP-World the future/past of Madara's world?  
A: I'm leaning towards no. For one thing, that would mean Madara would break his promise, and that talent will cause too much terror to not be used, and also, both the animal/plant-life and the geography are just too different. I reserve the right to change my mind, but until further notice, Madara stranded in a different world, not a different time.

Well, that's all for now,

Please Review


	5. Buster Call

Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece or Naruto

* * *

It was the following morning, when Madara sensed someone entering the room the scholars had actually supplied him with, making him independent from the inns who were robbing the simple fools that arrived at Ohara blind. "What can I do for you professor?" He asked, without bothering to turn to the door.

Professor Clover laughed. "No matter how often I see it, I still can't believe that you can recognize people without bothering to turn around."

Madara finally turned towards the professor and smiled. "You have a very distinct walk professor, it's quite easy for someone who focuses to memorize it. In any case, what can I do for you?"

Clover's smile seemed to falter slightly. "Well Izuna, there are a few angry parents waiting outside. They claim you attacked their children."

Madara's smile turned a tad feral. "Ah yes, I did want to exchange a few words with those parents myself. How nice, they saved me the effort of looking for them."

Clover seemed surprised, but followed Madara, curious to see what this was about.

-0-

Four angry woman were standing in front of the library when Madara exited it, one uglier than the other. Madara gave a almost friendly smile. "I believe you wanted to speak with me?"

One, that oddly reminded him of the ringleader of the brats, stepped forward. "You attacked our children without any cause and you dare show your face before us?"

Madara frowned in mock-confusion. "I'm sorry madam, but I don't recall doing anything of the sort."

Another one began to swell in anger. "You threw my little girl into the ocean!"

Madara shrugged. "She said she could swim."

The first one pointed at him. "Aha, so you admit it!"

Now Madara's gaze turned cold, making all four take a step back. "I threw a group of snot-nosed brats into the ocean as a in hindsight far too lenient punishment for throwing rocks at an innocent little girl. The fact that you let them speaks very poorly of your parentage. If they were born into my family, I would have personally _ensured_ they knew not to do it again." For Madara, attacking civilians was something done only when there were no other options, and bullying was something his clan had once worked very hard to prevent, giving not only shouting and a few harsh blows to ensure that they didn't forget, but very demanding tasks were set to accomplish for at least three months. Few had been dumb enough to try bullying someone twice, and no one had done so three times, not counting towards the Senju, of course.

The women were frightened by the man's burning anger, but they set up a strong front. "Our children would never do such a thing!" "Liar!" "What proof do you have?"

Madara raised a brow. "I have seen it with my own eyes, what more do I need?"

"Who were they throwing rocks at?" One asked.

"A charming young lady who goes by the name of Nico Robin."

The women snorted in disgust. "That monster?"

The temperature dropped at least five degrees Celsius. Madara's figure seemed to grow, dwarfing them all by at least twenty feet. It seemed to be a miracle that none of the woman spontaneously combusted under the anger in Madara's eyes. "Who do you think you are?" He asked, his voice dangerously quiet. "Who do you think you are that you claim the right to decide on something like that? Just where does a small herd of sheltered, shallow women take the right to call someone a monster? What has Nico Robin done that you think you can stand in judgment over her?"

The first woman tried to put up a brave front. "She is a freak! She just grows things out of nowhere! Even her own parents abandoned her!"

For a second, there was silence. Then Madara sneered. "That's all? After how you treat her, that's the best explanation you can come up with? Disgusting." He took a deep breath to calm down. "Get out of my sight. I have no intention of poisoning the scenery with your presence."

"You can't send us away like children!" one called out.

"Watch me." Madara replied. "My patience has run out. If you are not gone within the next minute, I will personally _remove_ you, are we clear?" His voice left no doubt that he was planning to make good on his promise.

The women fled.

-0-

Professor Clover looked at Izuna. It seemed that he had misjudged the young man. He had believed him a scholar in his own right, and while that wasn't necessarily wrong, there was steel hidden beneath that seemingly friendly surface. Still, if anything, Clover's opinion of Izuna only rose more. "I'm grateful Izuna. Someone should have done that long ago. Robin is a good girl, and she doesn't deserve what's happening to her. Thank you for standing up for her."

Madara smiled almost kindly. "Think nothing of it. To be honest, I find the girl fascinating. So young, yet already so clever." Not to mention her other skill. Useful if used creatively, not that Madara seriously considered 'acquiring' it, seeing that it would kill Robin, and slaying the innocent had, despite his profession, always left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Clover nodded. "That she is indeed." His voice turned somber. "Please don't believe the lies those women are spouting. While I admit I know little of Robin's father, her mother loves her very much."

Madara raised a brow. "I was under the impression that she was an orphan. When I asked around, the only relatives I heard of were a uncle and his unbearable wife plus offspring." He had met them, and while the husband seemed a nice enough, the other two had been a strain on Madara's nerves, and he had left the market a minute before he would have done something that would have drawn a lot of attention.

Clover nodded. "Yes, that is the general impression. But Robin's mother still lives. She is one of Ohara's greatest scholars. Unfortunately, she joined a long-term expedition when Robin was still very young, leaving her with her brother and his wife, who I take you have met."

Madara's brow twitched. "I see. In any case, would you mind if I returned to my studies, professor?"

"Of course not. Go ahead." The professor replied.

Madara turned away, but paused. "Professor, you should take care of yourself. There's trouble brewing."

Clover looked at him. "What?"

Madara shrugged. "Just a hunch. Though mine have a habit of being right."

-0-

The next week went peacefully, not counting the arrival of a giant, that went unnoticed by all but two people, Nico Robin and Madara. While Robin only saw him as a source of social contact, which despite all of the effort of the scholars and Madara's occasional aid she still lacked, to Madara Saul was the first envoy of chaos. The giant, while trying hard to hide it, was obviously a skilled and experienced warrior, so what was he doing here of all places?

-0-

Robin had just left, when Saul's eyes wandered up towards a rock-formation. "Come out." He demanded.

Madara walked out, still wearing his disguise. "Good evening."

The giant's eyes remained narrowed. "Who are you?"

Madara smiled. "My name is Izuna Nara, and from what I overheard, you are Saul. Tell me Saul, what is a giant doing so far away from Elbaf?"

"My ship sank." Saul replied.

Madara shrugged. "Well, that's too bad for you. Still, you could ask for aid. Unless you're a pirate, there's no reason why the Marines should be unwilling to pick you up and send you home."

Saul's face darkened. "I am not a pirate, but I lost trust in the Marines. What about you?"

Both had immediately been able to tell that their opposite was a experienced warrior.

Madara shrugged again. "I have never had any faith in the Marines to begin with, but nobody will try to arrest me after looking at me, if that's your question." At least not while the _henge_ is still up, Madara silently added.

After that, the giant and the shinobi decided on a cease-fire. Still, a tinge of worry remained.

-0-

A few days later, Madara's worries deepened. Saul had apparently finally learned just where he was, and seemed to be in a panic. That on the other hand made Madara nervous. The giant obviously knew something they didn't, and it couldn't be good.

Earlier he had noted a woman with white hair running through the town like a woman possessed, a woman that seemed oddly familiar. And now Saul was acting as if Ohara was a landmine about to go off. Together, these facts were beginning to paint a worrying picture, especially since his clone had just informed him that the Marines had shown up and kicked everyone but the scholars out of the library.

His thoughts were interrupted by Robin running off, heading towards the Tree of Knowledge. Madara decided he'd better be there first.

-0-

In Madara's opinion, the next few minutes could have come straight out of a drama.

The marines searched the library, finding the hidden room, and retreated. Once they were gone, Madara had clones seal the books into scrolls, starting with those he hadn't read yet, together with the researchers' scripts and the Poneglyph. He had a feeling the scholars wouldn't need them much longer, and you never knew when the scripts and a block weighing ten tons that had withstood pretty much every attempt to destroy it might come in handy. While the clones did so, Madara sat on a higher window and looked down.

He saw a unspeakably arrogant man dragging the white-haired woman he had seen before to the herded scholars, and accused them of some heinous acts, with Professor Clover holding a speech about what they had been doing, what they had discovered, and their beliefs. It was actually quite moving, but it did not stop the man, who was apparently called Spandine, from shooting the professor. Madara made a mental note to kill him at an appropriate time. He had actually liked the old man with the odd haircut.

Robin's admission of being able to read the old language was a show of both great loyalty and complete lack of self-preservation. The scholars were shocked, Spandine was surprised, Madara was impressed, and the white-haired woman seemed almost proud. When they called her Nico Olvia, a suspicion started to grow in Madara. Could it be?

Cannon-fire on the Tree of Knowledge pulled him out of his thoughts. Together with the explosion to get into the hidden room, the entire plant seemed to be aflame.

Spandine ordered a retreat, while the white-haired woman finally admitted she was Robin's mother. All very touching, but now Madara had to act, or his prey would escape.

He jumped down, landing right in the middle of the inferno, and used a trick that back when he was a child, every Uchiha knew. With just a bit of chakra, the flames parted before him. The entire act looked like the flames were flowing away from the ground Madara wanted to step on, and flowed back together behind him, as if it were water. "Spandine, where do you think you're going?"

-0-

The leader of the CP9 stared at the man who was walking towards him, the flames seemingly avoiding him, as if frightened. "W-Who are you?" He demanded.

The man smiled. "Oh, just someone who wants to make sure you have a very, very bad day."

Spandine twitched. "I don't know who you are, but if you side with the Oharans, then you'll find a price on your head faster than you can say 'justice'!"

The man laughed, his left hand covering his face. "Oh that's rich! Thanks for the warning, but it just so happens that there already is..." There was a POOF, and before Spandine stood a completely different man. "...a price on my head." He finished, revealing his face.

Spandine stumbled back. "I-I-It can't be! The demon of Mariejois, M-Madara Uchiha?"

Clover stared at the scene before him. "Izuna? You were really..."

The man looked at him, and Clover actually saw a tinge of regret in the other man's eyes. "I'm sorry for the deceit, but I believed it safer for all involved if I didn't reveal my true identity."

Spandine seemed panicked. He knew just how much destruction this monster in human skin could dish out. "Protect me! Fenrir, protect me!"

One of the men flanking him charged at Madara. Madara prepared for an attack, but instead, the man suddenly disappeared, before Madara felt two fists pushing against his back. "**Rokuougan**!"

Madara had never felt anything like that before. His entire body was wracked with pain, the impact of the attack lifting him off the ground. The man appeared before him, calling "**Shigan**!" To Madara's luck, the blow was aimed at his heart, in other words the part of his armor that was reinforced the most. The finger dented the armor slightly, but it did not penetrate.

Madara landed on his feet, wiping a bit of blood from the corner of his mouth. "Not bad. What was that?"

Fenrir blinked, amazed that the man could still stand after the first blow. Still, there was no reason to not answer a soon-to-be dead man his last question. "It's the Rokushiki, a martial art that we CP9 use. The first attack shows that I have mastered it completely. I am CP9's strongest fighter, Mire D Fenrir, your death."

Madara cracked his neck. "That first attack sure packed a punch. I had no idea that such a thing was possible. It seems I've underestimated you all. There are some skills that don't require a Devil Fruit, who would have thought?" Then he grinned. "You'll have to teach me."

Fenrir blinked. "Teach you? I will kill you."

Madara scratched his head. "It seems I have not made myself clear. That was not a request."

With that, both fighters vanished.

-0-

Fenrir was shocked to see that his enemy could keep up with his **Soru**, especially since he only seemed to be using raw speed to keep up with him. That also meant that Fenrir was at a severe disadvantage, for the simple reason that his speed came in bursts, while his enemy's speed was constant. Also, Madara was now wary, and would not be caught by surprise again. However, as Spandine had escaped, his main-goal was accomplished. Now all he had to do was find a chance to escape before...

Madara looked at him, his eyes suddenly crimson with an odd pattern in them. He suddenly felt dizzy, then his world blackened as a fist burrowed itself in Fenrir's guts. The last thing he noticed before he fainted was that the world seemed to twist.

-0-

Madara rolled his neck. The techniques that man used really did pack a punch, and they would be a good addition to his arsenal. The man was under genjutsu, so there was little risk of him waking up and trashing some of the stuff Madara had stored in his little dimension. Now the only question was which way he should go. Should he go after the man who shot the professor, or perhaps after the professor himself?

He decided that the professor had a right to know where a large part of his books went, and headed towards the Tree of Knowledge.

-0-

Professor Clover stared at the librarian. "What do you mean, the books from Categories IV and V are gone?"

The librarian, who was trying to snuff a few fires with a rug, spared him a glance. "I don't know, they're gone!"

A new voice rang out. "That would be my doing. I also allowed myself to pack up the Poneglyph and your papers on it."

Professor Clover spun around, to see an unfamiliar man. No, not unfamiliar. He had seen the bounty-poster, and how this man had emerged from a cloud of smoke. "Izuna?" He asked, just to gauge the reaction.

Madara smiled sadly. "Izuna was my brother's name. I am Madara."

Clover nodded. "I see. So, what was the real reason you came here?"

Madara looked him in the eye, finding the professor worthy of the information. They would all be dead from smoke-poisoning soon anyways. "You may find this hard to believe, but I am from an alternative world. I knew nothing of the world, so I came to the place that stored the most knowledge. I've taken the books I haven't read yet, plus a few more. There was no time for everything I'm afraid."

Clover nodded. Disguise or not, it seemed that the man before him was the same one he knew. He made a decision. "Olvia! Come here!"

The white-haired woman popped up behind a bookcase. "What is it professor?"

The old man pointed at Madara. "This man has memorized most of the library, and taken the books he hasn't read. Olvia, go with him, we'll stay here and try to save as much as we can."

Olvia shook her head. "No professor, I've been away too long, I won't abandon you all..."

"SILENCE!" the professor roared, a trickle of blood escaping his lip. "The books we save here will be in the hands of the marines. Access will be limited. Olvia, we need someone else to spread the knowledge that all deserve. Think of your daughter."

Olvia bit her lip. "Professor, I can't."

Clover looked at Madara. "Please watch over her."

Madara nodded. "You have my word."

"No!" Olvia called. "I won't! You can't force..."

Madara had lost his patience, and gave her a chop to the neck, causing the woman to faint. Madara pulled her into the dimensional vortex, and knew she was safe, whether she wanted to be or not.

He looked at the professor. "You're all going to die."

The professor nodded. "We know. But we are fighting for something that's larger than us."

Madara nodded. "I admire your determination. Farewell."

With that, he rushed out, his eyes burning slightly. It was a tragedy.

Still, he had a rat to hunt.

-0-

Madara found Spandine just after he had found Robin again. Suffice to say, the man was shocked to see him. "Where's Fenrir?" He asked, failing to understand how his best assassin could have failed.

Madara shrugged. "Somewhere were nobody will ever find him." He answered, while drawing the Kitetsu. Perhaps now was a good time for a thorough testing.

Robin had been clever enough to try and sneak off while the attention was elsewhere, but a world-government-agent grabbed her. "You're not going any..."

BOOM

There was a shocked silence as the rescue-boat went up in flames. Spandine stared in disbelief. "They...why?"

Madara decided that a man who was shocked at that, and obviously didn't agree, may deserve one chance at redemption. He'd let the fool go for now, there was always a next time.

The world shaking pulled him out of his thoughts. "Saul." He muttered.

Indeed, the giant was unmistakable. Like a charging mountain he stormed, swatting the agents like flies, gently lifting Robin into the air, and charging off before anyone had a chance to even understand what was going on. "Vice-admiral Saul?" One muttered.

Madara blinked. The giant had been a marine? That would have been his last guess. Well, even marines had to have a conscience somewhere, at least some of them. Suddenly Madara found it incredibly difficult to move. He turned his head.

Behind him stood a skeletal man with wavy green hair, which on the right half of his head was pointing straight up, while on the left side it was down. He had his arm pointing at Madara, fingers extended and spread. Madara remained calm. "And you are?"

The man looked at him. His face was wide and circular wrinkles were covering it, starting on the side of his head and forehead and narrowing until the smallest one on the tip of his large, wide nose. "I'm vice-admiral Heavy, and you are under arrest."

Madara rolled his eyes. "Arrest me? You and what army?"

Heavy frowned. "Don't play tough, I increased the gravity around you to a point where you can hardly stand. You have no chance of escape."

Madara raised a brow. "Oho, so you ate a Devil-Fruit that allows you to control gravity?"

Heavy nodded. "That's right. Do you now see the futility of your actions?"

Madara laughed. "You underestimate me. Still, there is one thing I'd like to know." His gaze turned cold, and Heavy involuntarily shuddered. "Were you the one that ordered the destruction of the rescue-vessel?"

"No." Heavy answered. "That was Sakazuki's doing."

Madara's brows raised. "He's here? Well, then, I wanted to chat some more, but it looks like I'll be busy soon. _Susanoo_."

Heavy stared at the figure that appeared before him, gulped, and increased gravity to the point where Madara was forced to his knees. "It doesn't matter what you use! My gravity will render it helpless!"

Madara smiled, though the gesture took ridiculous strength. "Perhaps. But _Susanoo_..." he began, while the guardian spirit pulled the Sakekiri and rammed it through Heavy's chest. "...is a phantasmal warrior. His mass is zero, as such gravity means nothing to it. Sorry, you lose. Better luck in your next life. Though your power will serve me well."

He sealed the vegetable into a scroll, and weighed different approaches to the situation.

-0-

When he found the ships, he saw that Saul had gotten there first, and caused quite a bit of havoc. A good number of the ships had sunk. However, the giant had paid the ultimate price for Robin. Frozen solid he was on the ground, his face frozen in a wide grin. A little further Madara saw two lines of ice, a small boat rowing away in between them. Even with his vision it was nearly impossible to identify the figure rowing as Robin.

Seeing that she was relatively safe, Madara turned his attention to the dead giant. He bowed his head. "Saul, you have my respect. May you rest in peace. Your body will not be left here to become food for maggots. In my clan, a warrior's body was set ablaze, so that one shines one final time. A worthy end for someone like you. _Amaterasu_."

The black flames spread over the giant, giving him a final farewell. After saying a short prayer, Madara turned to look at the remaining battleships.

-0-

Sakazuki froze as he saw the flames. "He's here!" He growled.

"Sir?" One of the soldiers asked.

Sakazuki ignored him. "Madara Uchiha! He's here!"

With that, he turned into a mass of magma and shot towards the burning island, the sweet taste of revenge already on his lips.

-0-

Madara smiled. "Predictable Sakazuki. You're too predictable." He focused, and set all other ships aflame with black fire. However, as an artistic touch, he had the black flames begin in the shape of the word Tenkou, or divine punishment. Just to add a little insult to the injury.

The vice-admiral landed, the ground sizzling beneath him. Madara feigned surprise. "My, what a surprise. We meet again, Sakazuki."

"Madara Uchiha. You won't escape me this time!" Sakazuki declared.

Madara was now openly showing his amusement. "You make it sound like I ran away. The way I remember it, I left you behind helpless like a newborn chick."

Sakazuki's brow twitched in memory of the humiliation. "This time will be different."

Madara's grin didn't fade. "Did you get stronger? Did you reach the peak of your abilities?"

Sakazuki snorted. "It will be more than enough against the likes of you."

Now Madara frowned. "In other words, you haven't. That's disappointing, though I did not expect anything else. You have talent Sakazuki, and your potential is great." Now his grin turned evil. "I want you to be at your very peak when I crush you, and tear your last secret out of your head." His smile faded. "Until then, you are worthless to me."

Sakazuki tumbled under the assault of Madara's _Sakki_-laced ire, images of horrible deaths flashing before his eyes. "W-What are you?" the marine spat out.

Madara tilted his head. "I'm complicated."

Sakazuki shot a blast of magma at Madara, who jumped back. "Good. There seems to be at least some fight left in you. This would be dreadfully boring otherwise. Very well, let's dance!"

The next minutes were a mindless dance, with Madara practicing swordsmanship on Sakazuki while dodging the blasts of magma the enraged vice-admiral sent his way, until the former noticed that the funeral-fire for Saul had finished with the body. He glanced at them, and they extinguished.

Sakazuki stared at the spot the flames had burned at a few seconds ago. "You can extinguish the flames?" He asked, shocked. By now, he had accepted that the cursed black flames burned seven days and seven nights no matter what anyone tried. To know that there actually was a way to extinguish them, and that it had not been used to save Mariejois, was another unforgivable insult.

Madara looked at him, humored. "Of course. Do you really think I'm foolish enough to unleash something without a way to reign it back in should someone attempt to use it against me?"

Whatever Sakazuki would have answered got interrupted by a new voice. "**Ice Time Bomb**!"

An orb hit Madara in the back, before expanding into a large block of ice. Sakazuki growled. "Kuzan! Stay out of this, he's mine!"

Kuzan looked at his fellow vice-admiral. "What does it really matter?" He asked.

Sakazuki considered that, and nodded. "You're right. The most important thing is that he is eliminated." He focused, and sent a focused shot of magma that evaporated the ice and burned away Madara's entire torso.

"It's over." Sakazuki stated.

"True, but for who?" Came a question from behind the two. The vice-admirals turned just in time to see a wave wash over them, after which both found themselves laying twenty feet back on the ground, too weak to move a single muscle.

-0-

Madara had noticed the new enemy the moment he had come closer than a hundred feet, but pretended not to know of his presence. Using the power he had taken from his first guinea-pig, he had taken root after extinguishing _Amaterasu_, leaving what was essentially a moving piece of wood to take the hit for him. Then he emerged a few steps behind them, and called _Susanoo_. What few knew about the Sakekiri was that the eternal illusion was only activated when the weapon was used to stab. If it was swiped in a horizontal cut, then the blade would release a wave of energy that, depending on the intent of the summoner, would do anything from draining the victim of all strength to erasing it from existence.

As he was interested in the abilities of the two vice-admirals, he had merely sapped them of all strength. Then he grabbed Sakazuki by the neck and looked him in the eye. "That's the second time I decide to spare your life. I think we have to put down some penalties. Whenever you face me before you are truly ready in the future, for every time you do so I will take something from you. What that will be will depend on my mood. Perhaps an object, perhaps a limb, perhaps something or someone you value. So be careful when facing me, perhaps you will bring my ire on the Gorousei next?"

With that, he left the man behind, knowing he would now train like a madman, which would ensure that Madara would learn even more when he finally studied Sakazuki's brain. The fool still had no idea he was being played like an instrument. But for now, Madara would take something from his little fool. His ship including crew.

-0-

While he walked towards the shore, he pulled out a snail he had snatched from Spandine's pocket without the man noticing, intending to exchange a few words with the ones who plotted all of this.

After a short beeping, a voice rang through the snail. _"What is it Spandine? Is Ohara destroyed?"_

Madara looked around. "Oh, you can say that again. It's complete pandemonium out here."

A short silence, then. _"Who is this? Where is Spandine?"_

Madara shrugged. "Beats me. He should be alive, if that's your question. As for me, my name is Madara Uchiha. And I am speaking to the Gorousei, no?"

This time the silence was much longer. Finally, the voice spoke again. _"What do you want?"_

Madara smiled. "Not much really. I'm simply curious why the World Government is so frightened of a group of old men that they will send this much firepower to level the entire island, killing the entire population, save two. What has happened in the past that you want to keep quiet so badly? Even if it your government was built upon heinous acts, that happened what, 800 years ago?"

"_How much do you know?"_ The voice demanded.

"I've heard the professor's speech, and seeing how you ordered him and everyone killed, it looks like he wasn't that far off. Still, I really don't get what all the fuss is about. All who might be responsible are dead, and even if there is a ruckus about it, that would die down fairly soon. So if a bloody history was all there was, there would be no need to go this far. So, what really happened then that you are so desperately trying to cover up?"

"_Are you a scholar?"_

"Not yet. But I'm sure Olvia will teach me to read the Poneglyph if I ask. I did go through the trouble of taking Ohara's Poneglyph, with me, after all." Madara replied, the hiss going through the speakers telling him that the Poneglyph was important to them. "I see. So this is about the Poneglyphs. Interesting."

A new voice rang through the speakers, a less patient one this time. _"What do you want? Murdering Tenryuubito and trying to gain forbidden knowledge, what is your goal?"_

Madara blinked. "My... goal?" He chuckled, before he broke into a full-blown laughter. "Fufufufu...MUHAHAHAHA!"

The voice on the other side lost his patience, apparently deeply unnerved by Madara's amusement. _"What's so funny?"_

He shook his head to clear his mind. "Fufufu, sorry about that, it's just... My goal... I don't really have anything like that."

Shocked silence came from the other side. _"What do you mean?"_

Madara shrugged. "I don't really have some grand dream or goal that I want to achieve. If you'd force me to name one, I'd say, to experience new and interesting things. To learn more, to see more, to understand more. So, to put it in words that even you can't misunderstand, I am doing whatever I feel like doing. If I want to save someone, then I save them. If I decide to punish someone, then I punish them. That's really all there is to it. As I have told the Tenryuubito I spared, I simply walk my road in life, and if heaven itself stands in my way, then _I will burn down heaven_."

Silence reigned, then one of the Gorousei muttered _"Doflamingo. It's another Doflamingo."_

Madara had no idea what that was supposed to mean, but neither did he care. It was obvious they were not going to answer his questions. "Oh, and you should send someone to pick up the surviving participants of this little attack. I guess most abandoned their sinking ships in time to make it, though if I were you, I wouldn't bother looking for Heavy." With that, he hung up.

-0-

While talking, Madara had reached the shore and, without even consciously noticing it, started water-walking as he stepped over waves with casual ease.

He looked up just in time to see that Sakazuki's ship, the only one still intact, was pointing its three front-cannons at him. He raised a brow.

BO-BO-BOOM

The three shots were fired almost directly after each other, giving hardly any time to dodge, especially not at point-blank range. Madara simply let the left cannonball fly past him, before sidestepping to the left to avoid the other two shots.

By the time the crew had understood what was going on, Madara was standing on the front-cannons, looking down on them as a wolf over an anthill. Guns were aimed at him, but Madara simply closed his eyes, before they snapped open, revealing his Sharingan, and placed them all under his control.

He ordered them to get the other members of the crew up, and brought them under his control as well. He was about to order them to set sail, when he noticed something.

-0-

A number of crows and ravens were surrounding him, sitting and flying around. Then they converged on him, beaks first, and Madara got the feeling that this would hurt.

He replaced himself with a random marine, and watched fascinated how the beaks pierced the flesh of the poor sod like it was made of paper. He quickly made handsigns before the animals realized that their intended target had escaped. "_Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu_!"

The dragon rose from the ocean, twisting and turning to catch all of the ravens, before slamming onto the reinforced deck that Sakazuki usually used as a launching-pad. The waters splashed and washed themselves overboard, leaving a coughing girl of maybe eight years laying in the middle of the platform.

Madara looked at the nearest Marine. "Put her in Seastone-cuffs, then set sail. Oh,and clean that up." He added, nodding towards the dead Marine. Then he used his power to pull Olvia back into their reality.

The woman was still unconscious, but began to stir a few seconds later. She blinked, looking around confused, before jumping on her feet. "You won't catch me again!" She shouted.

Madara placed a hand on her shoulder, and caught the hook she tried to give him. It was a pretty good one too, for a civilian. "Don't worry. These Marines are my mindless puppets. You're not under arrest."

She stared at him, completely confused for a moment, before her memory caught up with her. "The professor! Ohara!"

Madara's head turned to the burning island, Olvia's gaze following his.

As coincident would have it, at exactly that moment, the Tree of Knowledge fell.

Silence reigned, then Madara placed a hand on his heart. "Rest in peace, scholars of Ohara. You have my greatest respect."

Olvia simply stared at the burning island, her eyes empty. "The Tree of Knowledge... 5000 years of growth, and now nothing remains. Just like that, five-thousand years of hard work erased."

Madara knew a broken person when he saw one, and knew Olvia wasn't too far away from becoming one. He mentally searched his dimension, before he found the object he originally intended to keep as a souvenir. He pulled it out and put it down in front of Olvia.

The woman looked at it. It was a pot with earth and what looked like a small branch placed in it. "What's this?" She asked.

Madara looked at her. "A cutting from the Tree of Knowledge. Whether or not a tree will grow from it depends on you." He walked away, but paused once more to look at her. "You are alive, your daughter is alive, the knowledge of Ohara still lives, and even the Tree of Knowledge lives on. From my point of view, there's no reason for despair."

Nico Olvia looked at the plant before her, seemingly lost in her thoughts. "Robin." She muttered, before looking up. She had been a horrible mother, leaving her daughter alone like that. And even though she had apologized for it, she had never made up for it. Also, she and her daughter were all that remained from Ohara, she simply couldn't just break down crying like this. It was her duty, for the professor and all the others to keep on, and find the truth. And it was her duty as a mother to find Robin. A fire began to burn in her eyes. She now had a purpose.

Madara nodded to himself as he pulled the barely conscious raven-girl into a large cabin. Her black hair, some of her facial features, and that attack had reminded him oddly of that agent he had captured, and he suspected a connection there. But his instincts told him that the man, Fenrir, was not really the kind parental type, so it wasn't very likely that he would be able to use her to force information about the Rokushiki out of him. Still, that didn't mean it wasn't worth a try.

-0-

Sengoku could feel the headache forming. The Buster Call had been initiated, and Ohara was little more than a pile of rubble. That in and of itself would have been acceptable, but not only had the former vice-admiral Jaguar D Saul shown up and smashed a number of battleships, but Madara Uchiha, the most wanted man since Gol D Roger and the Yonkou, had shown up and sunk the remaining ones, save one that the man had taken for his escape. In addition, two Oharans that could read Poneglyphs had escaped, and they didn't even have the decency to escape together, so that they could be caught together. No, the girl, Nico Robin, had escaped on her own, rowing away without anyone able to stop her, while Nico Olvia, who had not been found among the corpses, was most likely with Madara Uchiha, meaning that the chances of capturing her were slim.

So for now, he'd try to focus on the girl, Nico Robin. Since it never looked good when a former marine wrecked havoc amongst his once-comrades, the one responsible for the loss of the battleships Madara didn't burn down would be blamed on her. Indirectly that was actually true, since Saul had done it to protect her. With that, they could give her a pretty high bounty, that would attract many, and the girl was not really a threat as far as he knew, so there was no reason why she shouldn't be caught quickly. 79.000.000 beri should be enough of a temptation for all to abandon her.

As for Olvia, her former bounty had been 43.500.000 beri, but since she was now associated with a Sinner, that would have to be raised. 94.000.000 beri had been confirmed.

Madara's bounty would remain unchanged for now, as they didn't want to put additional attention on the man's presence, seeing that he had completely defeated two vice-admirals, who had very strong logia-powers, and apparently either kidnapped or annihilated one more, who had a very powerful paramecia.

On the bright side, they had finally come up for an epitaph for Madara. Part of it came from his discussion with the Gorousei and a report from Sakazuki, but another part from a young Tenryuubito named Shalulia, who had seen Madara and since that day had essentially given him a title, which she refused to change. According to her the man had an aura around him, one that deserved no different title than the one she was giving him.

So the man with one of the highest bounties in the world now had an epitaph by which the world would soon know him. While not Godslayer, it still sounded too grand for Sengoku's taste, but renouncing it would be ignoring the opinion of a Tenryuubito, and even though there probably were other World Nobles that could refuse, Sengoku had to admit that the title fitted. And it wasn't like they hadn't used royal titles as pirate-epitaphs before.

The Emperor of Pandemonium, Madara.

* * *

Chapter 5 is done. Took a while, but the military doesn't give much free time. Next week I'll have to spend completely outside, so it might be two to three weeks before I can get anything done. Still, I hope you like this one. I probably altered the exact chain of events on Ohara so that they fitted best into my story, it was not like I could check, and I am too lazy to look and rewrite anything right now.

Well, to say a few things about this chapter. For one thing, Saul was simply too big to be a practical nakama before Madara really had a ship of his own, so he died heroically for Robin. And yes, Robin is not joining Madara's crew, I like her best with the Straw-hats. Olvia will look for her, but Robin is actively trying to stay below radar, and Madara's abilities as a sensor are not at a point where he could locate someone on any place on earth.

As you have guessed by now, Olvia is Madara's first crew-member. He isn't really happy with it, but accepts it as a responsibility he has to shoulder, it being the last request of a man he respected.

And the reason he provokes and spares Sakazuki, and indirectly Kuzan, is that the better the user knows his abilities, the easier Madara can handle them when he acquires them. So he's goading Sakazuki into training his abilities until he has completely mastered them, then he'll be able to use them better when he looks at the man's brain. The reason he made short work of the OC Heavy was simply that he was in a hurry, and knew that he would be in a disadvantageous situation as a sitting duck.

So Madara has captured three people that interest him, and has plans for each and every one of them. You'll have to wait until next chapter to learn what they are.

And my thanks to all who suggested epitaphs for Madara. I was torn, but eventually decided on one that popped into my mind. Pandemonium generally stands for complete chaos, and that sounds like a pretty good description for how his abilities look to the OP-world. And emperor just fitted his behavior. How do you like it?

And to jenny: WTF? You have reviewed two stories, and in both, you managed to somehow mess up just what series the story is about!

Now to answer a few questions.

Q: How can Seastones paralyze fruit-users?  
A: I originally planned on answering that when someone actually used one against Madara, but here's the explanation: Seastones emit a certain energy, which is what keeps seakings from attacking boats that are coated with them. A normal human that holds one would feel like he was submerged in water, only that he can breathe. The emitted energy basically messes with the brain, fooling it into thinking it receives the signals of being submerged. However, the damage fruit-users receive from the neurotoxin ensures that precise feeling will cause their entire body to slacken, making even talking a difficult task. So the reason Seastones work is not that they have the ocean's power, but that they make those who touch it believe they are submerged.

Q: Can OP-characters learn chakra?  
A: I haven't made a final decision, but seeing that it requires its own separate circulatory-system, I'm leaning towards no.

Well, that's all for now,

Please Review


	6. Of little Girls and worthy Foes

Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or One Piece

* * *

Madara silently stared at the picture before him. Chained to the wall was a young girl of roughly eight years, unconscious and held by seastone cuffs that the marines had had on board. Next to her kneeled the agent he had captured, Mire D Fenrir, eyes blank from the genjutsu he was trapped in. Now that the two were next to each other, the resemblance was even clearer. The same raven hair, the same pale skin-tone, and the facial structure was similar, though it seemed the girl got most of her looks from her mother, whoever that may be. Lucky her. The only mar, in Madara's eyes, was that under her left eye she had a tattoo of the World Government's symbol, five connected dots forming a cross with the letters 'WORLD GOVT'.

Checking the rest of the room, Madara nodded to himself. The operating-table with Heavy's body on it was prepared, a set of sterile medical instruments laid ready next to it. Madara himself was wearing rubber-gloves and his white lab-coat, having opted to remove the armor for what came next. Grabbing the necessary object, he approached the girl... and emptied a bucket of water over her head.

Spitting and sputtering, the girl's eyes snapped open, blue as the sea. "Hey, what's the big..." She started, only to trail off when she realized her surroundings. "Where am I?" She asked.

Madara stepped into her line of view. "You are on what's now my ship. You attacked me, why?"

The girl looked at him, the gears visibly turning in her head. "My mission. Now let my go, or my daddy will kill you! He's really strong, and..."

Madara interrupted her before she could make more of a fool of herself in his eyes. "He wouldn't happen to be the weakling beside you, would he?"

The girl's head snapped to the side, and her eyes widened. "Daddy." She whispered.

Madara eased the genjutsu's hold on the man, allowing him to return to consciousness, albeit without the ability to move more than his head. "Ooh, what happened?" He moaned.

"You lost, and now you're at my mercy." Madara replied coldly.

Mire looked up, and growled. "Madara Uchiha. How foolish of you to leave me untie... What is this? Why can't I move?"

Madara chuckled. "Because I have not given you permission to move. Now, you two will answer a few of my questions, and maybe, just maybe, I will spare your lives. Let's start with something easy. Girl, what is your name and age?"

The girl glanced at her father, who nodded. "Mire D Celia, nine years old."

Madara nodded. "Good. Next question, which Devil-Fruit did you eat?"

Celia found this man creepy, but it wasn't really a secret. "The Yata-Yata no Mi, a zoan-type."

Madara frowned. "Oh? To my knowledge, zoan-fruits allow one to become an animal-mix and an animal, not a flock of them."

Fenrir tried to tell Celia to keep her trap shut, but found himself unable to speak, forced to watch helplessly as that stupid brat babbled out well-kept secrets.

"Amongst the zoan, there are variations that allow for multiple forms. There is a Inu-Inu no Mi model wolf, and a Inu-Inu no Mi model wolf, pack-version. There are also swarm-versions, herd- versions, and flock-versions, like my fruit, the Yata-Yata no Mi flock-version."

'Interesting.' Madara thought, a useful ability, if harnessed correctly. A crow or raven was a fairly common bird, only the seagull attracted less attention in this world. If he decided to gain that power, he'd have to ask the girl more questions, but Madara hadn't made a decision yet. The look in Fenrir's eyes had told told him much, and if Madara read the man correctly, then there might even be a chance to get the girl on his side.

Still, now it was time for some intimidation. Madara was good at intimidation. "Before we continue, I believe that I should show you just what can happen if you decide to be uncooperative." He took a step to the side, giving his prisoners a clear view of the operating-table.

Fenrir's eyes widened. "Vice-admiral Heavy! What are you planning?" He demanded.

Madara gave him a bored look. "Something that requires concentration, so you both will be quiet." He subtly laced the order with a genjutsu that ensure that neither of them made a sound, and had to watch what he did.

Then he began the operation.

-0-

The first step was easy. Using a scalpel to cut open the skin, peeling it off the skull. After all, the _chakra no mesu_ was a jutsu designed to do internal damage without causing visible injury, so for Madara to properly see what he was doing, the skin had to go. Charging the jutsu with slightly more chakra than necessary, he increased its cutting-power to the point where it could be used to open the skull, careful to remove the bone without damaging the blood-vessels supplying the brain with oxygen. Once that was done, Madara reached for the instruments, as the last step required a delicate touch that a jutsu simply didn't possess. With a few quick and fluid motions he separated body and brain, letting latter fall into the special solution. He wiped a bit of sweat from his brow and smiled. "Operations successful, patient dead." He stated sardonically. Then he reached for the brain, studying it intensely, small bolts of lightning occasionally flashing up between his fingers and the brain.

After maybe fifteen minutes of study, interrupted by repeated replacing of the brain into the solution, Madara finally leaned back, satisfaction on his face. "I see. So that's how it works."

At that moment, someone hammered at the door, and Olvia's voice echoed through the door. "Madara, three Marine-ships just showed up, they're aiming at us!"

Madara's face spread into a smile. "Perfect timing. Follow me you two, now you will see what this operation is all about. _You will follow me, nothing else. You will not attack, and you will not attempt to flee_." The orders were again laced with genjutsu, and after Madara had taken Celia off the wall and shouldered corpse and brain, the two followed him like lost puppies, Fenrir red with anger,Celia with very green face.

-0-

Olvia stared in shock when Madara entered the deck, a mutilated corpse and its brain in his hands. "What on earth have you done?" She demanded with a shrill screech.

Madara seemingly ignored her, throwing first the brain, then the corpse over board, watching it sink. Only then he turned to Olvia. "Call it a very special operation, an experiment on those that ate Devil-Fruits."

Olvia stared at him. "On those that ate Devil-Fruits? What were you trying to see, whether or not they died like normal people?"

Truth be told, Olvia was slightly afraid of Madara. She didn't know him very well, all she had seen of him was his strength. She had heard how he had killed many Tenryuubito, how he had burned what was known as the capital of the world down, and how he had essentially kidnapped her and trapped her on this marine-ship, even if that had more or less been on Professor Clover's request. That the Professor had trusted this man enough for such a gesture did speak for the man, as did him giving her a cutting from the Tree of Knowledge, which had become her most precious treasure that received plenty of care. She had immediately known it was the real thing from the smell, the Tree of Knowledge having with the ages taken up the scent of paper, parchment and ink.

Still, seeing the man drag such disfigured corpses made her worry just how safe she was.

Madara smiled at her, and for a second her worry diminished. His smile seemed so kind and warm. Then her eyes landed on the splatters of blood on his coat, and shivers ran down her spine once more. "Where are the Marines?" He asked.

Olvia pointed starboard, where indeed two vessels under the Marine-flag were closing in, cannons seemingly loaded.

Madara closed his eyes, and remained still for almost half a minute, his features relaxed. Then his onyx eyes snapped open, and a feral smile graced his lips. "Now, to test my newest ability."

He extended his hand towards the ships in the distance, fingers extended and palm facing the unfortunate vessels. His arm tensed, and suddenly the ocean seemed to bulge. The vessels were in a dent in the sea, not that it mattered. The ships were torn apart. The masts broke like twigs, crashing onto the deck, broken wood and the sails burying men beneath them, larger fragments smashing holes through the deck. The cannons and their ammunition, suddenly much heavier, tore through the wooden structures until the dented the metal . On both ships, these groaned in protest, before breaking in half, then collapsing under their own weight, letting both ship and crew sink into the dark depths of the sea.

After ten seconds, Madara turned away, a smile on his face. " Well, it's trickier to control than I expected, but as a first try, I think we can label it a success."

Olvia didn't understand what Madara meant, but Fenrir's eyes widened in shock. "Impossible! That's vice-admiral Heavy's power! You can't have it!"

Madara turned to him. "You see, I'm not just a warrior, I'm also a bit of a scientist. I studied Devil-Fruits, and I have come to the conclusion that it's not some devil that grants the power, but simply a reaction certain substances cause in specific parts of the brain. This means that in every human lies the potential of every Devil-fruit in existence, we simply cannot use it. However, due to certain special abilities I've developed, I can analyze the brain, and with the knowledge of how a normal human's brain works, I can identify the differences and isolate the change in thought-pattern that allows the ability. Harmonizing my own brain so that I gain these abilities is a bit tricky, but as you've just seen, it works perfectly. The only catch is that I need to actually have the brain, pardon the pun, in my hands, to study it."

All stared in shock at the man who had within less than an hour overturned centuries of knowledge. Olvia gained another shiver, though she couldn't tell from what. The only thing she knew was that while perhaps insane, she was in the presence of a genius. "Does this mean that you can give these abilities to others?"

Madara smiled. "In theory yes. However, in an adult, the brain is too ingrained in its patterns to make such changes permanent. The brain corrects itself after a few hours, which means that the ability is lost at that point. But yes, I could temporarily empower someone with the abilities of a Devil-Fruit whose user I've studied." While the shock still held everyone in his clutches, Madara turned to Celia. "And now Fenrir, I will give you an ultimatum. Either you tell me what you know about the Rokushiki, or I learn how to fly."

For a second, silence reigned, until the meaning behind the words became dreadfully clear. Celia tried to squirm back, but the cuffs around her wrists drained too much of her strength to make it more than a tired crawl. "No, please no. Please, I'm begging you, no. Daddy, help me, please." Celia called out, even as she felt a warm liquid run down her leg.

Fenrir looked at the scene, his face a blank mask. "The secrets of the Rokushiki will never fall into your hands, Madara Uchiha." He calmly replied.

Even Celia froze at that cold-hearted declaration. "D-d-daddy?" She whimpered, not being able to believe what she had heard.

Madara raised a brow. "You're condemning your own daughter to death? How cold-hearted." he stated, though his voice sounded almost humored.

Fenrir's gaze was calm. In fact, he looked more like someone citing out of a lawbook than a father deciding the fate of his only child. "The CP9 are an elite and secret force of the World Government. We do not exist, as such, we have no bonds to distract us from our goals." He smiled lightly, a touch of evil in his features. "I do not exist, the Rokushiki does not exist, you are wasting your time."

Celia stared at her father, betrayal flooding her eyes with tears. Madara paused, in what looked like pure scientific interest. "It seems that this girl here disagrees with your assessment."

Fenrir growled, as if Madara had brought up a sore point. "She seems to be stuck on some silly belief that I somehow care for her. This is all her mother's fault, I should have made her death more painful."

Celia's eyes grew to the size of saucers. Her father had just let slip something that shattered the foundations of her entire life. After almost two minutes, she finally found the strength to speak, her voice somewhere between pleading and broken. "Y-y-you killed mommy?"

Fenrir snorted. "Of course. Basic CP9-protocol. Should a CP9-member produce offspring as a result of stress-relief, the other party involved must immediately be eliminated. The offspring is either terminated, or if potential is seen, recruited into the CP9. I didn't know she had gotten pregnant, the girl was almost four when they were found. The woman corrupted her with silly stories, were it not for the fact that she had already eaten a Devil-Fruit I would have saved myself the trouble and ended her together with that woman."

Celia stared, her entire body shaken. "B-but the letters I sent mommy..."

Fenrir rolled his eyes. "A waste of paper. They were checked, then burned."

Celia slumped together lifelessly, like a puppet with severed strings, tears streaming out of her eyes, the only word passing her lip was an occasional whimpered "mommy"

Madara's hand, still hovering above the girl's head, was suddenly grabbed in a vice-like grip. Olvia had stepped to him, and grabbed his wrist. "Madara," she began, her voice as cold and sharp as glass-shards in a freezer "you will not hurt this girl."

Madara was still looking at the hand holding his wrist, all who had enough mind remaining half-expecting it to burst into flames from the Uchiha's cold glare. "Developing maternal instincts? She is not Robin, despite certain similarities, and you can't just replace someone. Trust me, I speak from experience."

Olvia's gaze would have frozen boiling tar. "I know that Madara. Believe me, I know." Her voice was now as sharp as Madara's Kitetsu. "You won't harm a single hair on the girl's head."

The two stared at each other for almost half a minute, a silent contest of wills. Then, to everyone's surprise, Madara was the one that broke the eye-contact, taking a step back while raising his hands in capitulation. His face broke into a smile. Not an insane or evil smile, but a kind one. "My, there is steel in you after all. Good, I was afraid that the loss of Ohara might have broken that spirit of yours. As for Celia here," He glanced at the girl, who was now staring at the two of them with tear-filled eyes "you needn't worry. It was never my intention to harm her. I merely hoped that a few threats might motivate Fenrir here to talk."

Fenrir laughed out. "You never grasped the situation, I couldn't care less about the brat, she is but a tool! You will never learn the secrets of the Rokushiki!"

Madara rolled his eyes, before fully turning to the captured agent. "It's you who never grasped the situation. You really haven't figured it out yet? I can control your mind, you cannot keep a secret from me. You will tell me all you know of the Rokushiki, you will instruct me in it, and there is nothing you can do to prevent that. The only thing you decided with your actions was your fate after that. Had you cared for your daughter, I would have let you go after you taught me all you knew, but you proved yourself unworthy of such kindness. I can promise you this, you won't outlive your usefulness." He glanced at Celia, who was hugging herself, crying silently. "Perhaps you will be a decent feast for the crows. And now sleep."

Fenrir's eyes were filled with horror as he felt his consciousness slip. After all he had done, he had failed. Then he knew no more.

Olvia walked to the still silently crying girl, kneeled down, and pulled her into a warm embrace. "Shh." She gently coaxed the girl, who had stiffened at the unexpected contact. "It's alright. Let it all out."

Celia remained stiff for a few more seconds, basking in the warmth of this woman. 'She smells like mommy.' A part of her mind noted, and with that, the dam broke. Sobbing loudly, she pressed herself into the woman's bosom, clinging to her like to a lifeline.

As Madara left the two females, the intricacy of the female psyche a mystery he felt that even he wouldn't be able to solve and as such should best be left alone, he asked himself a serious question. "What to do next?"

-0-

The next days had been fairly calm for those aboard Madara's ship. Fenrir was locked up and in deep trance, incapable of even feeding or relieving himself without help and supervision, and the marines where still mindless dolls.

The little girl, Celia, had really taken a shine to Olvia, following the white-haired woman with the devotion of a puppy. The girl was still visibly uncomfortable in Madara's presence, hiding behind Olvia, but with the woman's encouragement, she had gathered enough nerve to dine together with the former clan-head.

As for the archeologist, she evenly split her time between caring for the cutting of the Tree of Knowledge, doting on little Celia, studying different maps, and pestering Madara about the library. The last thing in particular with irritating determination and regularity.

-0-

Madara's brow twitched slightly as he looked upon the white-haired woman that stood before him once again, staring at the book in his hands is if it were a child he had robbed from its cradle. He began to regret having promised the Professor to keep an eye on her. If he hadn't, he likely would have, if not simply tossed her overboard, at least dumped her on some inhabited island nearby and went on his merry way.

Olvia impatiently tapped her foot. "I'm waiting, Madara. What did you do to the books you took, and when will you return them?"

He took a calming breath, before giving her a slightly annoyed look. "You do realize that I have killed people for reasons far more minor than your constant nagging, don't you?" He asked in return.

Without batting a brow, Olvia nodded. After recovering from the shock of Ohara's destruction, she had sat down and carefully pondered everything that had happened so far.

She understood that she was in the company, or the hands depending on one's viewpoint, of a man who could take down the leader of the CP9 and make it look like the easiest thing in the world, who took on two very powerful vice-captains and according to Celia, who had watched, thoroughly humiliated them both. Someone who, as she learned cut up those who ate Devil Fruits in the attempt to gain their power. And while it was sad fact that the mistreatment or even murder of fruit-users in attempts to gain their powers was nothing rare, what set Madara apart from the rest of the sick minds was that the man _succeeded_. He actually did what common knowledge and centuries, if not millenniums, of research and tests had declared impossible, using the power of the Devil without making a pact with it. Madara Uchiha was a genius unlike any other, succeeding where even the one hailed as the greatest mind on the planet, the elusive and enigmatic Dr Vegapunk, had failed.

Olvia was fully aware of the fact that every breath she took was a mercy he was granting her, and that Madara could end her life on a whim. She accepted that, but ironically for that very reason she had lost her fear. Death was a part of her life, as present as the the sun in the sky or the ocean beneath her feet, so there was little to fear. Also, Clover had trusted him, even more, he had entrusted her to his care, which spoke volumes of how much the Professor had respected and trusted the man, a feeling at Olvia suspected had been mutual. The promise he had made to the Professor, to keep her safe, was Olvia's shield against Madara, the barrier that kept her from harm... and encouraged her to challenge him, perhaps more than she could allow herself.

She smiled. "Yes, I know. However, I still want to know about the library." He voice turned solemn. "That library is the life of countless scholars, thousands have risked and gave their lives to gather it. And from what the Professor told me, you have gathered the most rare, the unique pieces, and I want to know where they are."

Madara's eyes moved upward, whether to ask the the heavens for strength or to demand why he was punished in such a fashion, before he sighed. "Fine then woman, listen up. I have stored the library in a pocket-dimension that is accessible by me, and only me. The entire dimension is under stasis, which means that when I am not there, no time passes, which allows me to transport delicate or easily spoiling goods without damaging them, and safely storing them for long periods of time. There I have stored the documents you're pestering me about, again stored within special scrolls to save space. I am keeping them stored in that particular fashion because there is little alternative. This is a marine battleship, the personal vessel of a vice-admiral no less. While those are usually modified to suit the vice-admirals needs, the former of this vessel was spartanic in his own needs, and more focused on military might. This ship has a thicker layer of armor, there are specially armored zones and more equipment to handle fires, not unusual considering that the man in question turned into magma. So sorry, but the man replaced the library for more weapons, meaning that I have no place in which the books could be stored even if I gave them to you."

Olvia frowned at the explanation, but she had long since passed the point where she doubted the abilities of the man before her. Nodding to herself, she finally spoke. "In other words, we need a better ship?"

Madara actually had to grin at that. "Maybe later. For now this vessel will do, and it's actually a pretty good cover. While the Marine knows that I took a warship, they will assume I've killed the crew and replaced them all with cutthroats. So my little toy-soldiers are covering for us. However you're right, in the long term this ship won't do. Though I'll probably have it cannibalized for parts when a new ship is to be built, no reason to waste good materials. How's the girl?"

Olvia blinked at the sudden change of topics, before breaking out into a smile. "Celia is doing well. I think she's beginning to adapt to her new life, although you still scare her." She threw him a glare. "Your little performance scared the living daylights out of her."

Madara pointedly ignored the accusation in her voice. "An unpleasant necessity. If she grows closer to me, then she will, if not, then not. She's attached to you, and for me, that's all that counts. She cares about you, and the other way around, so I probably couldn't get rid of her even if I wanted to, isn't that right?"

Now it was Olvia's turn to ignore the barely veiled sarcasm. She gave him a look that would have petrified a lesser man. Madara shrugged it off with nary a blink. "She has nowhere to go Madara, and I refuse to abandon her like this. Not again."

Madara grinned and the weakness his white-haired archeologist had just shown. "So you do not wish to repeat your mistakes? An understandable notion, but don't you think you might be projecting a bit more into that girl? Alone, in need of family, with an ability, only a little older than..."

Olvia's face twisted in anger as she slapped Madara. Of course the former clan-head could have easily dodged the blow, and remove her arm while doing so, but honestly he found himself interested in this woman. She knew she didn't stand the ghost of a chance against him, yet she instinctively lashed out. It made Madara wonder if he would have been so defensive if he had ever had a child of his own. So he let her hit him, his head snapping to the side before turning to look at the woman, who seemed to be panting in anger. "I know that I wronged Robin Madara, and there is nothing in this world that pains me more. But don't you dare suggest that I'm using Celia as a replacement for my child Madara, don't you dare. I am fully aware that Celia is not my daughter, and I would never let anyone take the place Robin holds in my heart."

Madara tilted his head. Honestly, he found this a fascinating insight on the inner workings of a parent's mind. "So what is Celia to you then?"

Olvia gave him an almost pitying look. "You never had children, did you Madara?"

The Uchiha gave her a completely neutral look. "No."

Olvia shook her head. "Then there's no way for you to understand how a parent feels. You may be the greatest genius in history, and know a lot more about the brain than anyone else, but until you truly allow yourself to develop parental feelings, you won't understand. To me, Celia is a girl who lost her mother because her father is a monster. She needs help right now, she needs comfort and support." Her eyes turned sad. "She's only a child, Madara, despite all the training she's been through and the lives she may have taken. She's a child that was trying to please her father, only to be brutally cast away. I can't leave her alone like that. She may not be my child, but I am a mother, and if I can ease her pain by being a mother for her, then I will do that without a second's hesitation. She's not Robin Madara, and I know that, but as a mother I can't leave a child abandoned like that. And if Celia needs me, I will be there for her. I once chose my work over my daughter, and while I don't see it as a wrong decision, I will regret it until I hold Robin in my arms and apologize to her. I left my daughter behind so that I not bring her into the dangers we would face, I wanted her to be safe. Celia is different. She has no home, nobody who could take her in."

Madara slowly nodded. "But you can't do that with Celia. She was CP9, there is no safe haven for her."

Olvia sadly shook her head. "No, there isn't. I don't have the choice I had with Robin, and unlike her. Celia is safest with me. I'm not her mother Madara, but that doesn't mean that, one day, she might become my child."

Madara raised a brow. "You want to adopt her?"

Olvia nodded. "She's not Robin, but she might one day be her sister. If Celia needs me, then I will be there for her Madara, and if that means adopting her, I will." With that, she turned around and left.

Madara looked at the closed door, chuckling. "I see. You do see her as your daughter Olvia, whether you know it or not. Though I was wrong to assume you're replacing Robin." That was good. He would have lost a lot of respect for the woman if she replaced her daughter, a girl that Madara actually liked, so easily. He winced as he touched his stinging cheek. "I guess I deserved that."

All in all, it had been an interesting day, and it was about to get even more interesting.

-0-

Maybe an hour after Olvia had left, Madara's reading was interrupted by the sound of cannons, and the heavy shaking of the entire ship.

"What the hell?" He growled as he dashed towards the deck, wanting to know who had the impunity to attack him, and indirectly a marine warship.

Seeing Olvia staring starboard, and noticing both the raven sitting next to her and the black dots that were flying towards the two ships shooting at him, and an island that those ships seemed to be trying to block him from said island, Madara walked up to them. "What's going on?" He calmly demanded.

Olvia looked up. "We were heading towards that island to stock up on water, when those two ships suddenly popped up and opened fire on us."

Madara raised a brow. "No warning, nothing?"

Olvia glanced at him. "I think that was the warning."

Madara nodded, when his eyes widened and he gave Olvia a strong shove. Startled, the woman stumbled backwards, only to feel something shoot past her, right where her head would have been a few moments earlier, and slam into the mast, leaving a small dent in the armored plating and a twisted piece of metal that had once been a bullet. Olvia stared in shock, her eyes wandering to the ships who had paused its fire, seemingly waiting for them to turn tail and run. "No way. From this distance...?"

Madara's face on the other hand twisted in rage. It didn't matter that the shot missed. It didn't matter how much Nico Olvia annoyed him. It even didn't matter why they had shot at them. The only thing that mattered was that they had attempted to harm someone that Madara had promised to watch out for. They had attempted to kill someone under Madara's protection. And there was exactly one response for something like that.

He closed his eyes and placed his fingertips on his temples. A few moments later, his eyes snapped open, burning with rage. He threw his hands forwards, fingers extended and palms facing up, before slowly raising his arms.

-0-

Out at sea, utter pandemonium broke out as the crews felt their ships rise out of the waters and into the heavens, and themselves being pulled upwards, away from the safety of their vessels.

"IT'S SHIKI! HE'S ATTACKING US!" one of the captains cried in panic.

The other captain, a man with a generous stomach hiding his strong muscles, black hair and a few missing teeth, was grabbing onto the side of his ship with one hand, stared to the other ship, shaking his head. "WHY WOULD THE GOLDEN LION BE ON A MARINE-SHIP? IT'S SOMETHING ELSE!" He shouted back, before he felt the tug get much stronger while changing directions. His eyes widened as he realized what was about to happen. "HOLD ON TIGHT!" The man that would one day be known and feared as Blackbeard cried out, bracing himself for the inevitable.

-0-

Madara frowned in concentration, turning his palms so that they now faced each other.

Just as he was about to act, the raven opened its beak. "Whitebeard." It croaked, Celia's voice completely unrecognizable in this form. "Whitebeard is here, craw!"

Even if Madara had cared, it was too late. His palms shot towards each other, narrowly missing each other to push as wide outwards as his shoulders allowed.

The ships mimicked the movement of his hands, shooting frontally towards each other at rapidly increasing speed, only that they didn't miss each other.

In an ear-shattering cascade of bursting wood, bending metal, and breaking bones the two ships collided, each smashing the other ships front, shards of wood the size of spears flying through the air as dangerous shrapnel, piercing and shredding all those unfortunate enough to be in its path. Screams of pain echoed over the sea to the intact Marine-ship. Madara could fight a small smile as the familiar melody of fear and agony reached his ears, bringing back memories of his old world, were injury and death were as common as water was in this one, and where such cries woke one far more often than crickets or a rooster. Calmly, he looked at his minions. "Were picking up the survivors." The mindless marines nodded and started steering the ship towards the wreckage that had plummeted back into the sea when Madara released his hold on gravity.

Olvia on the other hand had grown pale when she heard Celia's report, the countless ravens having flown back to the ship to reunite with the one still on board. "This is bad." She muttered "This is really bad."

Madara glanced at her. "What's wrong?"

She stared at him in disbelief. "What's wrong? Those ships belong to Whitebeard, one of the Yonkou! He's known as the Strongest Man in the World, and unlike many captains," she pointed at the wreckage "he cares for his men. He sees each and every one of them as his child, do you really think that he'll forgive you for this?"

Madara blinked, before a feral smile appeared on his face. "The strongest man in the world, you say?" He chuckled, barely able to contain his laughter. "Marvelous. Finally, a worthy opponent." An insane smile spread on his face. "One can't fight his nature. Mine is battle." His eyes focused on the island. "This will be fun!"

-0-

When Madara's ship anchored and sent out a few boats, most holding those fished out of the water, a mob had formed, waiting for them. The injured were immediately pulled away for emergency-operation, while the healthier ones were welcomed back an brought away from the scene of battle to be. However, one figure that stepped out was met with hateful glares. Madara.

A large man stepped forward. "I know you. You're Madara Uchiha, the Emperor of Pandemonium." He stated.

Madara tilted his head. "That epitaph is new." He frowned for a second, before shrugging. "But I like it. You seem to have me at a disadvantage here, you would be...?"

The man growled. "I am the Commander of Whitebeard's 3rd division, Diamond Jozu. Why did you attack our men?" He demanded.

Madara's face showed boredom and a bit of disappointment. "They attacked me without provocation. I retaliated."

The man's arm seemed get a shimmer as his face twisted in rage. Madara's hand on his Kitetsu tightened. "How dare you...?" He demanded, before another voice interrupted him.

"Jozu, enough."

The man spun around. "But paps, you can't just let him-"

A giant of a man appeared, holding a large halberd and with a mustache like a white moon. "That man is out of your league, Jozu. He would kill you."

Mutterings broke out, but Madara had eyes only for the giant. He could feel the power in this man, the shivers running down his spine. This was the real deal. This man was powerful. This man existed on the highest tier, this man before him was a monster. Just like him. Madara's pulse increased, and he felt a smile tugging at his lips. This Whitebeard, though different, was a being just like him and Hashirama, a powerhouse and a true warrior.

Whitebeard looked at the man before him, and his posture clearly showed that he was prepared to attack or defend in an instant. He opened his mouth. "As a captain, I understand your actions, and apologize for the rash behavior of my men." He calmly stated, bringing outrage to his men.

Madara nodded politely, knowing that this was far from over, and would not be resolved with mere words.

Whitebeard took a deep breath. "However, as a father, I cannot forgive what you did. No father can stand by and watch as his children are butchered." The air filled with _Haki_, forcing a number of Whitebeard's own men to their knees. "Prepare yourself, Madara Uchiha."

Madara grinned, and all bystanders remembered that when an animal shows his teeth, it was a threat. He could feel the _Haki_ in the air, tugging at his mind, trying to bring him to his knees. So he was right, _Haki_ was indeed a power based on the feeling of an alpha in its pack. However, for someone like Madara, a master of _Sakki_, the power of the predator before its prey, it was not difficult to shake it off. Still grinning, Madara released his Killing Intent, and all but Whitebeard felt ill at the immense feeling of bloodlust and hatred. "Perhaps we should move this somewhere where your men won't be in the line of fire." He suggested, a smile still on his face. And why not, his very blood was singing. Battle, there would be battle. Finally, there would be battle.

Whitebeard's eyes had grown cold, but he nodded, and the two moved to a clearing inwards.

The scientific part of Madara's mind noticed that the mix of _Haki_ and _Sakki_ had a few unexpected side-effects. The situation had changed for both of them, and both seemed to itching for battle. It was different from all either had ever felt before. When _Haki_ clashed, it was like a match for leadership in a wolf-pack. When _Sakki_ clashed, it was like a meeting of predators, like a tiger and a lion meeting and fighting for territory and prey. However, this mixture invoked a new feeling.

Whitebeard was the alpha of a herd, and Madara was a predator threatening that herd. Battle was inevitable, and unless one retreated, it would be a fight to the very death. No parlor-tricks, no pulled punches, only the clash of wills and strength, the struggle between two monsters in human skin.

Whitebeard looked at him, his eyes filled with mental strength, and that same burning will for battle that filled Madara. His expression was solemn, though it was obvious he had no intention of letting the man before him escape. That was alright. Madara had no intention of escaping. He wanted this fight, and it would be fought to the very end.

The giant raised his halberd. Madara unsheathed his Kitetsu.

The Bull had reared his horns. The Tiger had bared his fangs.

Silence reigned, both silently observing their foe.

Two were on this clearing. Only one would leave it.

Then they clashed.

* * *

Chapter 6 is done. A rather difficult chapter to write, as I wasn't sure exactly what Madara should face next. I have multiple ideas, I'm just not sure in what order they should happen. I've already given a small spoiler about what will happen, if you can find it.

I normally don't do requests, but I was in a good mood, so I decided to make an exception in this case. I was contacted by someone who wanted me to update this story on June 6th, as a birthday-present for a friend. I'm sorry that that won't work, seeing as I'm about to leave back to the military, where I won't have internet until Friday, so I decided that you'd probably like it a day early rather than four days late, so for the birthday-kid, just don't let it be read until the 6th, and Happy Birthday from me as well.

I also showed another side of Madara. He is not evil in my fic, but with the way he grew up, he enjoys battle. He loves fighting against a strong opponent, and he feels Whitebeard as a truly worthy foe. He does not support tyranny like the Tenryuubito or Hashirama's plans, he believes in freedom and even peace to a degree, however he was bred for war, it's what he's best at, and yes, he enjoys what he's doing.

Since some worried that Madara wouldn't have any real enemies, I decided to have him clash with one of the most badass-characters in the entire One Piece-world, Edward Newgate. While I can only hope that I will be able to do the clash of these two monsters justice, I can already promise one thing. It will be a tough fight, a bitter one, both of them will get some serious injuries before it is over. There will be no cheap end, like 'Put Whitebeard in a genjutsu and the fight is over'. This will be a tough fight, and I can say that I don't expect the island to be inhabitable after those two finish their deathmatch.

On a different note, I am someone who usually tries to be sparing with OCs, as they can lead a story astray, so unless they're antagonists or cannon-fodder, I plan to be sparing with them. Celia is an OC, but I prefer that she be the only one in Madara's crew, though I haven't really decided who gets to join it yet. So, who would you like to see in Madara's crew?

Now for the Q&A

Q: How could Madara still be in top-form after getting a hit from the _Rokuougan_?  
A: He wasn't. He was actually in a world of hurt, but it's just that he grew up in that world. Pain is nothing new to him, and he can fight even in agony. What can I say, he's just that good. And his armor did soften the blow, the reason it wasn't shattered for good is that it has seals for self-repair that Madara flooded with chakra to fix it.

Q: Will Madara implant the Kitetsu with Fruit-powers?  
A: In the near future, no. He doesn't know it's possible, nor does he believe that it is right now. I do have a theory for that too, but at the time Madara wouldn't even have the resources necessary to do so.

Q: Wouldn't the fact that Olvia lives have an effect on Robin? Lower bounty, less attention, looking for her mother?  
A: Everything has influence, however if anything, Robin is going to be a higher priority. After all, Olvia is with Madara, so even if found the odds aren't that good for the marines. Robin on the other hand is alone, and could even be used as bait for Olvia and Madara. She's simply the easier target. As for Robin looking for Olvia, of course she would be looking, but where? Madara doesn't have a headquarters she could find, and without a real agenda it's not like you could just predict where he might pop up next.

Q: Will there be time-skips?  
A: There probably won't be a way around that, seeing that I'm still years away from where canon really picks up, aka Luffy's journey. There will be more before such a skip happens, but eventually, there will likely be one.

Q: Why doesn't Madara just hunt down the Tenryuubito?  
A: Would you travel hundreds of miles just to squash a few cockroaches?

Well, that's all for now, I need to hurry to catch my train to he- I mean, the army. Wish me luck.

Oh, and

Please Review


	7. NOTICE FOR POLL! DO NOT REVIEW!

DO NOT REVIEW THIS! It will be later replaced with a real chapter.

Sorry, I don't like doing these things, but with the recent reveal in the manga, I've been getting questions. I will say this much, Madara has the mokuton only when using the power he took from the plant-marine, not in his normal mode. However, I'm not sure on the Rinnegan.

I'm hesitant to add another power to Madara, though I guess he could have it. If so, then he wouldn't have got it from the fight with Hashirama, since the Shodai was a sneak and used poison in my fic. However, the fight with Whitebeard, and here I must remind that the man is still much closer to his prime we are currently more than a decade away from the start of Luffy's journey, would be a prime opportunity. So, I have decided...

That I leave it to my readers. There is a poll in my profile, please give me your opinion. I will say this much, IF Madara gets the Rinnegan, it will be rarely used, because it'll be rarely needed.

Again, please do not review this, I will eventually replace it with a real chapter, and it would be a shame if you lost your review on this stupid note.

Thank you for your understanding.


End file.
